Something Blue in Vegas
by eenak
Summary: A weekend in Vegas makes Buffy and Faith unwilling parties in the "my will be done spell". What happens when the unwilling become the willing? A Fuffy spin to the episode 'Something Blue' from Season 4. Story takes place post-Chosen.
1. Prologue

**AN: This is my twist on the "Something Blue" episode in Season 4 where Willow inadvertently wishes that Buffy and Spike get married. Of course Spike is nowhere to be seen in this, B/F shipper all the way here! This is however post Chosen, I hope you enjoy and of course reviews are always welcomed!**

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**Prologue**

"Fucking hell B…let's motor, you're gonna make us late!" Faith yelled as she tapped impatiently on the railing of the stairway.

"I'm coming!" Buffy yelled back as she finally appeared at the top of the staircase with a huge bag in tow. "Isn't Las Vegas supposed to be the city that never sleeps…here, grab this." She held the bag out to Faith as she approached. "So how're we going to be late?"

Faith rolled her eyes but complied. "What am I? The fucking bell hop? And that's New York City." Her eyes widened as she saw Buffy turn to go back up the stairs. "Where the hell are ya going? We need to get going!"

"I have to get my other bags and I thought we were going to Vegas…who changed it to New York?" Buffy asked as she disappeared up the stairs and around the corner.

"Other bags? Jeez, just how many do you have up there? And New York City is the city that never sleeps Blondie," Faith growled out.

"Oh. And only three more," came Buffy's muffled response as she reappeared at the top of the stairs again lugging three more suitcases.

"What the fuck B! We're only gonna be gone for the weekend. Two, two and a half days tops, if you ever get a move on! Why do you need all this shit?" Faith asked as she took another of Buffy's bag from her as she approached the bottom of the stairs and dropped it.

"Well it's Vegas Faith," Buffy responded cheerily. "You never know what you're going to do, so I need to be prepared for anything."

Faith gave her an incredulous look. "Two bags B! That's all you're taking…Giles is only letting us take the smallest plane we have and there just isn't room for all this shit." Faith motioned to the four bags Buffy had packed.

"Fine," Buffy pouted as she looked up at Faith through her lashes.

"Not gonna work Princess...two bags." Faith made her point by holding up two fingers. Buffy's pout was cute, no doubt, and it usually worked on the brunette slayer. Only this time, Faith was thinking of her own comfort in the small plane rather than Buffy's keen fashion sense.

"FINE!" Buffy huffed when she didn't immediately get her way. "Wait here while I filter through these and decide what I need."

Faith groaned and closed her eyes, dropping her head in defeat. She knew that if she allowed Buffy to do any repacking, that it would take far too long and she had a schedule to keep. _Fuck!_ She grabbed onto the bag that Buffy had picked up and prepared to carry it back up the stairs. "I swear B," Faith started grouchily as she grabbed another bag from the floor. "The next time I get a weekend off you are_ not_ invited."

Buffy's face lit up as she picked up the other two bags. "Oh you know you can't spend a day without me," Buffy accused as she followed Faith. Her smile grew as she watched her fellow slayer stomp through the doorway. It was true, any free time the Chosen Two had was spent with each other. Whether it was going out to dinner and a movie, hanging out around campus or at home keeping each other company, you rarely saw one without the other. Even in their classes they managed to interrupt each other, sitting or joining in on the lesson. Lately, Buffy and Faith were inseparable.

This was their first weekend off in ages and it was rare that Faith, Buffy, Kennedy and Willow all got the same days off. Xander however, couldn't make the trip, there was a class of new slayers set to arrive in less than a month and he had some serious remodeling to do. All he could do was hand a twenty to Faith and tell her to use it wisely. She happily took his cash and assured him that she would put it to good use.

Of course, it was Faith's idea that they high tail it to Vegas for a little fun. Kennedy was easily persuaded, all Faith had to do was mention 'Showgirls' and she was sold. Willow really didn't care, she just want to get away from the WIT's that had graduated to the more advanced Wicca training. She was currently teaching them the "my will be done" spell. It frustrated her to no end that they kept trying to use the spell to make each other do stupid things. She seriously needed a vacation, even if it was only for the weekend. Buffy was the most difficult to persuade, she originally had mentioned going to the beach. The Californian missed the sun and the sand terribly, plus she desperately needed to work on her tan. Faith had easily shut down that idea, knowing that they could visit the beach at any time, she told her that she could plan a class field trip with some of the SIT's and make a day of it.

After their destination was selected, Faith set upon the task of convincing Giles to let them take one of the planes for their trip. Driving wasn't an option nor was wading through the hell that was the airport. Taking a private aircraft would allow them to arrive much sooner, making the most of their weekend, plus it would allow them to use company funds and transportation. It was win win. It took Faith much pleading and guilt tripping to get Giles to agree on their means of transportation. Granted, he only provided them with the smallest plane the council owned but at least he made sure they wouldn't have any problems being received when they arrived in Vegas and had proper transportation when they got there.

"It's about damn time," Kennedy said as she appeared in the doorway of the plane and took the bags that Faith was carrying. She gave a disbelieving look to Faith as she saw Buffy carrying two more bags. "Dude, are you fucking serious…there isn't gonna be enough room for all that."

"Move," Faith told Kennedy as she climbed into the plane and took the bags from Buffy, situating them the best she could before taking her seat.

"Oh, there you guys are!" Willow exclaimed loudly. "I was starting to think we would have to leave without you!" Willow exclaimed again this time waving her arms in the air with glazed over eyes and a huge smile plastered on her flushed face.

Faith looked at Kennedy disappointed. "You gave her alcohol? Already!"

"Hey! She's afraid to fly so I needed something to calm her down," Kennedy defended as she patted Willow's leg.

"Hey baby," Willow said goofily as she looked at Kennedy.

Kennedy smiled at her girlfriend and gave her hand a little squeeze. "Hey yourself."

"She's a witch!" Faith screamed over the starting of the plane's engine. "She floats around and teleports for fucks sake!"

"Yeah well those are things she can control. This plane she can't!" Kennedy screamed back. Faith only rolled her eyes as she looked back to Buffy and held out her hand to assist her getting in. "Whipped," Kennedy said loud enough for Faith and probably Buffy to hear her over the roaring engine. She laughed as she took in the scowl on Faith's face.

"Yeah well, at least she's not drunk!" Faith retorted.

"Yeah well, at least I'm getting some!" Kennedy shot back.

Faith narrowed her eyes in defeat and turned just in time to take in the confused look on Buffy's face as she looked around, noting that she had nowhere to sit. Looking over at a smirking Faith, Buffy scoffed, "Right here babe," Faith patted her lap for Buffy to take a seat, "I told you that was too much shit." Faith pointed to the seat that now held two of Buffy's bags.

Buffy only rolled her eyes and perched herself on Faith's lap. The smirk on Faith's face quickly disappeared as Buffy wiggled around to find a more comfortable position, her ass pressed tightly against Faith's more sensitive areas.

Kennedy gave a smirk of her own as she watched the horrified look on Faith's face at the position she was now in; this was definitely going to be a long trip.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Thanks for the reviews and the fave alerts, here's a bit more...hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1**

Faith yanked the door open and climbed out of the plane before the pilot could cut the engine and give them the all clear, she was in a hurry to get away from the globs of upchuck that littered the floor and Buffy's bags. She turned and held out a hand for Buffy to assist her as she exited. Instead of releasing her when she was on the ground, to Buffy's surprise, Faith yanked her forward and wrapped her arms around her waist. Buffy looked confused for a second and was about to ask Faith just what she was doing, but the lascivious look on the brunette's face left Buffy speechless as she placed her hands around Faith's biceps.

"Was the ride as good for you as it was for me?" The brunette broke out into a grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes and couldn't help but smile back at the playful banter. Not to be outdone, Buffy slid her hands over Faith's bare shoulders and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Oh yeah, definitely the best I've ever had." Faith's arms tightened around Buffy in an effort to pull her closer. Both girls stared at one another for a few seconds longer, leaning in as if they were about to kiss before they both broke out into a fit of laughter and then reluctantly released each other. They still kept the physical contact though, while Faith propped a leg onto the airstair to reach for their bags, Buffy placed her hand on her thigh as she waited.

"And you," Buffy couldn't resist lighting into Kennedy once again as she appeared in the doorway. "I can't believe you gave her alcohol right before a flight Kennedy. You guys have been dating for over a year, you should know by now that Will _does not_ handle alcohol well," Buffy yelled at the younger brunette for what seemed like the hundredth time since the trip began.

"I don't think any of you Scooby chicks handle your alcohol well, B. Or are you forgetting your own little mishap with the brew?" Faith asked as she situated the bags in her arms.

"Oh don't remind me." Buffy shook her head slightly.

Faith chuckled at her embarrassment. "Don't worry B, if you ever decide to go all one million B.C. girl again, I'll be your Fred."

"Fred?" Buffy asked confused, surely Faith wasn't talking about that lanky guy in the Scooby Doo movies with the bad dye job.

"Yeah, your Fred Flintstone," Faith clarified for her confused blonde counterpart. "Cause I can make your bed rock," she finished in her usual playful manner with an eyebrow wiggle. And as usual Buffy countered with an eye-roll but still couldn't help the laughter that followed. Their banter was interrupted by Kennedy as she made her way down.

"Look Buffy, I said I was sorry and that I'd buy you new bags, okay?" Kennedy said climbing out and holding out her hand for Willow to stumble her way out.

"You'd better," Buffy told her and folded her arms across her chest, "and they better be designer." Kennedy rolled her eyes. "And have wheels!"

"Oh because wheels will make it easier to haul around," Willow chimed in, "but you guys are slayers so you should be okay with the heavy lifting because you're all grrr and strong and good with the heavy lifting. But me? Not so much. I could just levitate them, b-but I don't think that's wise in public so yes...wheels are definitely a must. You have to get Buffy luggage with wheels," Willow said with a nod and her eyes flashed white, it was only briefly, so brief that if you weren't looking directly at her eyes you wouldn't even notice.

"Fine, wheels it is," Kennedy said begrudgingly.

"Designer with wheels!" Buffy added.

"Whatever," Kennedy mumbled as she held onto her girlfriend.

Faith chuckled and shook her head as she listened to her rambling friends. Friends, something she didn't have too many of before now, but it was something that seemed to have happened so effortlessly after they all agreed to start things anew with the second chance they'd been given after the destruction of Sunnydale.

"Look at it this way B, at least _you_ weren't sitting there when it happened...so I guess it's a good thing you brought the extra baggage after all. Now can we please get a move on, I want to hit the tables while it's still daylight out, then we can hit a few clubs later."

"Yes we could...if I could get the rest of my bags out of the plane. I'm so not touching that!" Buffy pouted as she folded her arms across her chest and looked to Faith.

"Ha!" Faith retorted. "You don't actually think I'm picking that shit up do ya? Let Ken do it, it's her girls throw up. I'm sure she ingests way more of Red's body fluids than that," Faith finished with a snicker.

"Nice Faith," Kennedy said sarcastically as she leaned a giggling Willow against the side of the plane to reach in and get Buffy's bags. Buffy only narrowed her eyes and made a disgusted face at the comment before shaking her head.

"Here," Buffy said before gingerly grabbing onto Willow's arm, making sure she wasn't putting her hand in any dried up vomit. "I'll take the Wicca and you get the luggage."

Faith was already at the limo when the three approached. "Sweet, I knew G-man wouldn't let me down," she said as she threw the bag into the trunk and walked to the door. Kennedy dropped the bags she had, giving a sheepish look and a shrug to the driver when he gave her a disgusted look.

"I got her." Kennedy quickly took Willow off Buffy's hands.

"Ooh, pretty!" Willow said motioning to the limo. "I've never ridden in a limo before, I mean there was that one time at homecoming when we all pitched in and got one but Buffy and Cordelia ruined it with their stupid homecoming queen drama," Willow said with a pout. "And-and we never actually got to ride in it and ended up having to take Oz's van instead. I wanted to ask for a refund because, hello! I never even got to see the inside. Oh! I bet there's champagne inside!" Willow's eyes flashed white again.

Faith couldn't help but laugh at Kennedy's expression as she walked the rambling witch over. "Red, I think you better lay off the booze at least for the rest of the day. You know how tight G is, he may get pretty pissed about the upholstery cleaning bill if you keep at it."

"You're such an asshole Faith," Buffy told her and walked towards the door to enter. Faith gave her a slayer-filled swat on the ass as she bent over to get in.

"Ow...that hurt you brute!" Buffy told her as she stood upright and swatted Faith on the arm.

"Hey!" Faith said as she rubbed her arm. "And so did that shit!"

"Sorry," Buffy pouted as she rubbed her butt.

"It's all good," Faith responded with an easy smile, unable to resist the pout this time. "Let me get that for ya." Faith grinned, dimples on full display as she made an attempt to grab Buffy's ass. Buffy only giggled as she playfully swatted Faith's hand away before finally entering the limo.

Kennedy only shook her head at the two; it was something that she'd seen often. Buffy and Faith with the not-so-subtle flirting, they obviously had the hots for each other so she didn't know why they wouldn't act on it. It's not like everyone didn't already think they were dating anyway. Maybe it was all the bad history the two had, or the fact that Buffy still pretended that she was still only into men. Whatever it was, there was no denying that Buffy and Faith definitely had some sort of symbiosis going on. One simply couldn't live without the other.

Kennedy watched the huge grin on Faith's face as she never took her eyes off Buffy as she got in. "They should just hook up already, it's starting to make me sick how much they want each other."

"Oh! I totally agree. Oh, oh...we _are_ in Vegas, they should totally get married while we're here, they'd make such a cute couple!" Willow eye's flashed white as she entered the vehicle with Kennedy's help. "Champagne!" Willow squealed as she reached for the bottle, but Kennedy quickly took it from her.

"How about we save this for later," Kennedy placed the bottle on the floorboard and planted a kiss on Willow's lips as she pouted.

"Fine," Willow still pouted but moved closer to Kennedy as she sat down.

As both girls settled on the seat opposite the Chosen Two, they didn't pay attention to how close Buffy and Faith were sitting, after all this was something they were used to. However, as they both closed their eyes and snuggled against each other lost to anything and anyone surrounding them, they missed the fact that Buffy and Faith were now holding hands as Faith pulled their joined hands to her lips and placed a soft kiss on Buffy's knuckles. They also missed when Buffy leaned up and gave a grinning Faith a passionate kiss on the lips.

"I love you," Buffy mumbled against Faith's lips as she lovingly cupped her cheek.

"Love you too, B." Faith unhesitatingly responded as she pulled back slightly to look at Buffy.

"This is gonna be the best trip ever," Buffy said excitedly as she planted another kiss on her fiancé's lips.


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks Dushku1207, glad you're liking the story so far...and as for longer chapters, well I realized that when starting this I'd want to make them shorter, I'm also in the middle of co-writing something that produces 20-25 pages on average per chapter and it takes forever to update so I figure with shorter chapters I can update quicker. I will try to make them a little longer as I wind down with other projects :D**

**Chapter 2**

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Pulling up at the hotel, the driver got out and set about retrieving all except the soiled bags from the trunk and sat them on the curb. Buffy emerged first and waited as Faith got out and retrieved their bags, while Kennedy was trying to wake a sleeping Willow.

As they walked through the courtyard, Faith let out a low approving whistle at the appearance of the swank hotel, the pictures on the Web failing in comparison to the up-close view. Buffy and Faith had already entered the hotel as Kennedy finally emerged with a sluggish Willow, and then went to get hers, Willow's and the remainder of Buffy's bags.

Inside, the slayers stood at the desk, Buffy was leaning back against Faith who stood leaning against the desk with one arm wrapped around Buffy's waist and the other placed on the desk. Faith's thumb was hooked over the top of Buffy's jeans, idly stroking the skin it came in contact with and her chin rested on her shoulder. Buffy took in the scenery of the hotel lobby; it was definitely one of the nicest hotels she'd ever been in.

Buffy leaned back even more into Faith and turned her head so that she could rub her cheek against hers, laying a kiss upon her girl's cheek as she continued to take in the sight of the hotel. Several staff members dressed in white shirts and vest and dark colored slacks could be seen walking around, as well as several of the hotel's guests. Buffy was glad to see that as well as some well-dressed patron's, most of the guest were casually dressed just as her and her friend's were. It still made her happy that she'd packed for any occasion though.

She marveled at the high, floor to ceiling windows that bathed the room with the setting sunlight. From the ceiling, hung several beautiful chandeliers that were dimly lit giving the room a calm, cozy feeling. Buffy wondered if it was real crystal that dangled from them as the sunlight sparkled off them. The décor was elegantly done; the chairs looked posh, but most definitely didn't look like they were there for comfort as they were placed in various places inside of the lobby. There were several paintings that adorned the walls and hung above the two fireplaces that were placed on opposite sides of the room and were crackling with lowly lit fires.

"We're paying enough for the room as is without having to stand around in this fucking lobby all day. Can we get this show on the road already," Faith grumbled as she looked around for someone behind the desk, effectively breaking Buffy out of her assessment of the hotel.

Buffy turned around with a smile on her face and wrapped her arms around Faith's neck, "Aw baby, I didn't know you were in such a hurry to get married," she leaned up and pressed her lips against Faith's for a series of short sweet kisses.

"Oh yeah," Faith responded between kisses and wrapped both arms around Buffy's waist pulling back slightly, "The sooner we're married, the sooner we get to the honeymoon," Faith wiggled her brows and leaned back in for another kiss. This one turned passionate quickly as Faith slipped her tongue past Buffy's parted lips and slowly massaged it against Buffy's own willing tongue. She then ran her hands down and cupped Buffy's jean-clad ass squeezing slightly, receiving an appreciative moan from the blonde.

The public display certainly didn't go unnoticed, but if anyone was bothered by it no one said anything. This was "Sin City' after all, so watching two hot chicks making out was certainly not the worst thing that was going on. In fact, a few of the men loitering about as well as some of the staff could be seen loosening their collars while gawking.

'Ahem', they heard next to them and pulled apart slowly looking in the direction of the interruption. A middle-aged man with a crisp white long-sleeved shirt and black bow tie now stood behind the desk with a huge grin on his face, "Let me guess...newlyweds!" The man exclaimed.

"Um, no...not yet," Buffy told him, "but we will be soon!" She squealed excitedly. Faith kissed the side of Buffy's head and smiled broadly at her fiancé's excitement.

"Yeah, so can we get checked in already so we can get to it?" Faith told the man impatiently.

"Of course!" The clerk told her, clasping his hands together excitedly in front of himself as he moved over to the computer that sat behind the desk. "Name please."

"Lehane," Faith told him.

"That-that's your last name?" Buffy looked at Faith, puzzlement displayed on her face.

"Uh, yeah...you don't like it," Faith furrowed brows and a hint of disappointment could be heard in her voice.

"No!" Buffy yelped. At seeing Faith's expression deepen and her brows furrow even more, realization hits Buffy, "Oh, no honey, I didn't mean_ no_ I don't like it...more like no, that's not what I meant."

"Oh," Faith said lowly, still unsure.

"It's just that we've known each other for a while and we actually get along now, plus we've lived and worked together for over a year. I just think it's funny I never knew what it was," Buffy explained, "I mean, not ha ha funny, just funny in a 'how could I _not_ know' way," the confusion showing on her face again at not knowing something as simple as Faith last name. The look was certainly not putting Faith any more at ease. "But it's perfect," Buffy interrupted her own rambling as a smile suddenly broke out on her face, she cupped Faith's face in her hands while tiptoeing up and planting a reassuring kiss on her lips, "Best last name ever."

"Mmm," Faith moaned forgivingly and finally smiled as she leaned in for another kiss, "Well I'm glad you like it...it'll be yours soon."

"I know!" Buffy wrapped her arms around Faith's neck pulling her in for a tight hug, "I can't wait!"

The clerk was smiling throughout the whole scene, one party not knowing the other's last name was certainly something he'd seen before, this was Las Vegas after all. Maybe the brunette was some Rock Star or something that only went by one name. She did have the whole badass rocker look down with the tight leather pants and the dark red tank top that clung to her fit body. He could vaguely see the black leather studded belt that peeked out as the tank draped slightly over the top and as he peered lower he could see the black boots that completed the ensemble. Her makeup was subtle though, it was light showing that she was a natural beauty and making her look young.

The blonde was young and pretty as well and certainly seemed to be smitten with the other girl, he supposed she could've been a groupie that had gotten lucky. Although, that didn't seem to likely either, seeing as the brunette appeared just as head over heels. He smiled lightly at the couple and tried not to think to negatively about the nature of the relationship.

Some couples were lucky if they even knew each other's first name, so despite the issue with the last name, he couldn't help but think that it was something about the two that stood in front of him that they could be different. Maybe it was the way they really looked at each other. Or it could've been the way one never took their hands off the other for a second that made him think that perhaps they really meant something to one another. After all, the blonde has said they'd known each other for a while. He'd seen many couples come and go but none seemed to be as genuinely happy as the two standing in front of him.

"Can I see some I.D. please," he interrupted once again.

Faith begrudgingly unwrapped her arms from around Buffy as she leaned down and fished around in her bag for her wallet, she took out her license and handed it to the guy. Showing her I.D. was something Faith no longer had to be wary about. After the battle with The First and after covering up the break-out, Angel and his Wolfram and Hart crew had gotten her a new trial. Apparently the confessions of an obviously disturbed minor and the lack of evidence, coupled with the fact that anyone that had anything to do with the previous Sunnydale case was now nowhere to be found, it was enough for the judge to overturn the conviction.

Faith knew that what she'd done was wrong and that she could never fully pay for taking two lives, she could only try to do as much good with this second chance she'd being given. It wasn't until Faith found out that it was actually Buffy who'd pushed Angel into finding a way for her to stay out of prison that she ultimately set her sights first on trying to make things right with the Scooby gang.

The clerk checked the license which confirmed his assessment that the brunette was indeed still young, she was only 24. "Ah here we are, Lehane...double beds," he stated handing the I.D. back.

"Yeah, I guess we'll just have to push them together or something," Faith shrugged as she put her license away and glanced at her fiancé pulling her close once again and giving her a light kiss on the lips.

"Nonsense, we can certainly do better than that," the clerk scoffed and he keyed a few strokes on his keyboard. "The honeymoon suite, on the house," he told them with a wink and a broad smile.

"For real?" Faith asked amused as Buffy's smile grew wider.

"Absolutely," the clerk continued to type, changing the room information for the couple.

"Thanks man," Faith told him, "I owe ya one..." she trailed off looking at his name tag, "Larry."

"Oh don't mention it," he waved them off, "and really...don't mention it, I'd probably get fired if the boss knew I was comp'ing the honeymoon suite, the kid from the last shift left himself logged in so this is under his sign-in," Larry finished with a another wink.

Faith laughed as she disentangled herself from Buffy but not before stealing another kiss as she reached down to get their bags. Buffy looked horrified at receiving not so free freebies, the last thing she wanted was landing up in a Las Vegas jail cell when she was supposed to be getting married.

"Oh, I'm kidding," he laughed heartily at the look on the blonde's face, "I'm the shift manager; we're allowed to comp every now and then. It keeps the guest happy and the rooms booked." Buffy looked at the man's tag and when she saw that the small print under his name read 'manager', she allowed herself to smile. Larry handed the programmed key cards to Buffy with a return smile, "I'm on until six a.m. so if you two need anything at all feel free to call the front desk and ask for me."

"Thanks," both girls answered in unison.

Buffy was about to ask Larry about any wedding arrangements the hotel may offer, or if he had any other suggestions but Kennedy finally emerged inside the hotel and struggled to make her way up to the desk. She was weighed down with bags and her red-headed girlfriend's dead-weight. "Thanks for the help guys," she told them in a huff as she dropped the bags in front of her as she finally approached the desk and propped Willow against it with a sigh.

"C'mon Junior, you're all grrr and super strong now," a grinning Faith told her mocking Willow's words from earlier, "That should be a piece of cake." Kennedy watched as Buffy ran a finger along one of Faith's dimpled cheeks.

"Yeah Faith," Kennedy started, still sensing nothing out of the ordinary with the two, she knew that Buffy always seemed enamored whenever Faith put her dimples on display, they were extremely cute and Faith was even more gorgeous when she smiled...even Kennedy could admit that, if only to herself. But the two were always finding ways to touch each other, especially when they thought no one was looking, "But I still only have two hands."

"Well you better use them to hold up ya girl there," Faith's motioned with her head towards Willow and her grin grew wider as she watched her begin to slump down the front of the desk, Kennedy hurriedly grabbed onto her and rolled her eyes. "Rosenberg, checking in...now please," she told Larry.

Willow perked up and grabbed Kennedy's sleeve, "Ooh and make sure we get a room with one of those little mini bars. I'm sure Giles won't look at the bill so he won't know we've taken anything, oh but just in case he does I can glamour it so only the room's billing will show." Kennedy only sighed at her girlfriend's babbled request for more for more alcohol.

"Yo, you can do that?" Faith's eyes lit up, Willow nodded her head enthusiastically. "So I can order all the porn I want and you can make it disappear, yeah?" Willow nodded again and Kennedy laughed and shook her head at her friend.

Buffy however, was not amused. She poked Faith in the side, "You so won't be needing that," she told her as grabbed onto the front of her tank top and led her towards the elevator.

"Yeah?" Faith questioned with a grin as she stumbled slightly from the sudden movement, Buffy shook her head in the negative, "Ya know, Ken brought her camcorder, we could always..."

"Don't even think about it," Buffy interrupted her as she stopped in front of the elevator and turned towards the grinning brunette.

Kennedy and Willow were left at the desk still waiting to be checked in, Larry smiled in amusement at the coupled pair as he typed, "So are you two looking to tie the knot as well?"

Kennedy's eyes widen, "What? No! There won't be any knots tied here, we're just here to have a good time."

Larry snickered as he looked over at the swaying red-head, "Well, it looks like your friend there has already gotten started." Kennedy fixed him with a pointed glare and snatched the key cards from him as she gathered the bags in one hand as best she could and pulled Willow against her with the other and walked towards and entered the waiting elevator.

Willow sighed as she laid her head against Kennedy's shoulder. Kennedy smiled as she looked down and placed a kiss on top of her girlfriends red head and then looked over at the two slayers with keen interest. Then she looked down at the bags that littered the elevator floor and couldn't help the deep sigh that escaped and the overwhelming thoughts that she had to go out and shop for Buffy's new designer luggage...with wheels.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Faith leaned back against the elevator with her one bag and Buffy's other two bags in one hand and pulled Buffy back against her and rested the other hand on her hip. Buffy leaned her head back to rest against Faith's shoulder and Faith took the opportunity to nuzzle the side of her girl's neck. "Mmm, you always smell so good B," Faith continued to nuzzle against Buffy's neck as she placed soft kisses on it. Buffy's eyes were closed as her hand reached up and entangled into Faith's hair as she sighed contentedly.

Willow was leaning heavily against Kennedy's side with her head resting on her shoulder with her eyes closed. Kennedy looked over to the snuggling pair with furrowed brows. "Okay...what's up with you two?" She raised a questioning brow.

Faith raised her head and Buffy's eyes opened to look over at Kennedy. "What?" Buffy asked innocently.

"Don't what me. Everyone knows that you two are into each other, but this," Kennedy motioned towards the pair, "This sudden over share of the touchy feely just seems soooo...," Kennedy trailed off as she searched for the right word.

Anyone with eyes could see that Buffy and Faith obviously had a thing for each other; it was the two that always insisted that they were 'just friends' and chalked it up to having circumstances in their favor now that allowed them to actually get to know each other and be friends. However, now that Kennedy was really paying attention, they just seemed too, "cozy," she found the word she was looking for. "You guys just seem awfully cozy all of a sudden."

"Mind your business Junior and let the grownups deal with the grown up affairs," Faith finished with a grin.

Kennedy let out a laugh that bordered on a scoff, "Is that what's going on with you two, an affair? I knew it!"

"Of course you did silly, you just said everyone knew so what's the problem?" Buffy asked before smiling sweetly at Faith and then she shifted so that she was now leaning against the elevator wall.

"Who's having an affair?" Willow piped in raising her head and looking between Kennedy, Faith and Buffy. "Because that's such an ugly thing to have, why not just be out in the open with these things. Unless of course it's a thing with the girly loving-or or the manly loving. But that still doesn't mean it has to be an affair. I-I mean sure there are still some people that frown upon these things," Willow demonstrated with a little frown of her own and pointed to her ever reddening face, "but to hell with those people, if you're happy then who are they to say who has a right to be with who...or is it whom?"

"Okay where's her off switch," Faith grumbled. Kennedy shot Faith a warning look before stepping in front of Willow to rub her shoulders.

Buffy looked on and eyed Kennedy menacingly as she leaned and turned her body more into Faith, "Unfortunately she doesn't have one when _she's been drinking_," She emphasized the last part. Faith smirked and Kennedy only rolled her eyes at this. "But she's right," Buffy turned to face Faith, "After all, you can't help who you love," she said looking into Faith's chocolate brown eyes as she ran her fingers back through her brunette slayers hair. Faith only grinned and was about to lean in and kiss Buffy but rolled her eyes and looked back to Willow as she started up again.

"Besides, affairs can ruin relationships, and-and if you don't want to be with someone you should just tell them," Willow then looked at Kennedy. Both slayers seeing this also looked at Kennedy with matching grins. Everyone was silent for a few moments until Kennedy looked back at the two slayers.

"What?" She asked oblivious to the fact that she was now under scrutiny. She then turned back and took in her girlfriend's dejected expression. Her eyes widened and grabbed Willow's hands. "No baby, it's not me! I wasn't talking about me," Kennedy frantically explained.

Faith scoffed at the younger brunette's frenzied display, "And she called me whipped."

"Shut up Faith, this is all your fault," Kennedy called out over her shoulder but never took her eyes off Willow.

"What?" Faith exclaimed and was about to protest further when Buffy laid a hand across her stomach and kissed her cheek.

"It's okay baby," Buffy whispered to Faith, "she's getting herself into enough trouble as is." Faith only nodded lightly as they both continued to watch their animated friends.

Kennedy squeezed Willow's hands in a reassuring manner and leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, "I would _never _do that to you, I swear."

"Okay, I believe you," Willow grinned and leaned in giving Kennedy a quick kiss of her own. "But um, ouchy on the hands. Not a slay girl here remember, too much with the grrr baby."

"Shit, sorry," Kennedy loosened her grip on Willow's hands and brought them up to her mouth to place a kiss on each. "But I was talking about those two," Kennedy motioned over her shoulder at Faith and Buffy. Willow glanced over Kennedy's shoulder at the two; to her they appeared as they always do whenever they were near each other. Faith still stood leaning against the wall with Buffy closely standing by.

"Hi guys," Willow grinned back and gave a little wave. She looked back to Kennedy, "They can't be having an affair, neither is dating anyone." Willow looked back over at the pair as Buffy grabbed at the front of Faith's shirt and laughed at something Faith had just whispered in her ear. "But I think we all know the reasoning for that." Willow smiled at the two and looked back at her girlfriend.

"But, but..." Kennedy sputtered.

"Oh leave them alone," Willow told her now aggravated slayer. "They'll figure it out."

"But that's just it," Kennedy went to continue but Willow pointed to what was suppose to be her resolve face. But the huge grin and the red pigment was far from resolved. Kennedy could only chuckle as she shook her head.

"Yeah well there's something else definitely going on with them," Kennedy assessed still watching the pair with keen interest, still unsure on when exactly the public displays of affection got so intimate with the two. She opened her mouth to say something more but before she could say anything more the elevator 'dinged' alerting them that they were at their destination. Kennedy grabbed their things and grabbed Willow's hand and they made their way out of the elevator onto their floor. She noticed that the cuddling slayers had yet to make an effort to exit. "Um guys, this is our floor," she said as she turned around to face them.

"Sorry Junior," Faith said as she reached out and begrudgingly grabbed Buffy's bags that Kennedy was carrying, "but it looks like we're going up." Faith told her and grinned just as the elevator closed shut.

Buffy, who was now leaning against the elevator wall, grabbed one of Faith's belt loops and pulled her back against so that now Faith's back was pressed against her front. Buffy wrapped her arms around Faith's waist and tiptoed so that she could nip Faith's ear with her teeth, "I'm kind of hoping you'll be going down instead," Buffy said seductively into Faith's ear as she licked it.

Faith shivered as a flood of desire washed over her body. She dropped the bags she was holding and spun around quickly, pressing her body more fully and tightly against Buffy's. Her hands slid down Buffy's sides before she placed them on her narrow hips. "Oh I'll definitely be going down," Faith told her as she ducked her head and slowly ran her tongue along Buffy's neck before she latched on to her pulse point, nipping and sucking on it. Buffy moan appreciatively as she wrapped a leg around Faith's waist and her hands found its way into her hair. "I also plan on doing a helluva lot more than just that," Faith told her as she moved a hand around to cup Buffy's ass and slowly rocked her hips against her, feeling the heat radiating from the blonde's core.

Buffy moans became louder as Faith brought a hand down between them and rubbed over her pussy through her jeans, adding more pressure with each stroke. Buffy rolled her hips against Faith's hand at the delicious friction she was causing against her clit and wrapped her arms around Faith's neck. Buffy's mouth was next to Faith's ear and the sexy sounds she was making was too much for the brunette as she brought her hand back up and fumbled with the button of Buffy's jeans trying to get them open.

The action brought Buffy back to earth as she grabbed Faith's hand. "We-we can't," she managed to get out gasping for air.

Faith groaned against the skin of Buffy's neck, "Why not?"

Buffy chuckled lightly, "Baby, we're in an elevator," she told her still clutching Faith's hand in her own and still trying to catch her breath, "and we're not married yet."

Faith only rolled her eyes as she pulled back slightly, "A mere technicality sweetheart," Faith began and she leaned back in and placed soft kisses on Buffy's neck, "you want to wait til we're married, yeah?"

Buffy laid her head back against the wall and moaned softly as her eyes fluttered shut before she answered, "Yes."

"And you already know that I'm gonna be the one that marries ya," Faith told her as she ran her tongue along Buffy's neck, bringing it up along her jaw line and then kissed her parted lips.

"Uh huh," Buffy muttered still unable to form full sentences at the moment.

A slow smile crossed Faith's lips at her fiancé's desire filled haze, "So it doesn't matter whether we do it now or later," Faith slowly ran her tongue across Buffy's lips, Buffy's own tongue darted out trying to capture the torturous device, "I'm still gonna be the one who'll be three fingers deep inside that hot little pussy of yours," Faith's mouth was near Buffy's ear now and her words were spoken in a husky, sexy tone. It was all that was needed for Buffy to come undone.

"Oh Faith...yes baby," Buffy released her grip on Faith's hand and allowed her to do what she pleased. Faith popped the buttons of Buffy's jeans and just as she was about to slide her hand inside, the elevator 'dinged' and the door began to open. Buffy quickly removed her leg from Faith's waist and brought her hands against Faith's chest and shoved. The force of it caused Faith to stumble backwards and trip over the luggage that was sitting on the floor.

"Motherfucker!" Faith exclaimed as she hit the floor hard. Buffy reached down quickly to re-button her jeans as the door slid completely open. There stood a young couple who took a step forward to enter but was quickly halted and startled at the scene in front of them, they didn't know whether to laugh or call hotel security.

"Sup," Faith greeted the couple that now stood over her from the upside down view she had of them. The woman had on a skirt and it just so happen that Faith, from her advantageous position could see right under it. Faith's eyes widened and her mouth hung open at the fact that the woman wasn't wearing any panties. Seeing her fiancés gawking face, Buffy kicked Faith's foot and gave her a scolding look when Faith turned her eyes to her and mouthed 'what'.

"Um...hello," the woman greeted back, alternating her gaze from the woman on the floor and the red-faced woman standing in the elevator.

"Let me guess," the man started cheerily with a wide smile on his face as he now too looked from the brunette to the blonde, "newlyweds?"

Buffy gave the man a bashful smile, "Well...not yet."

"Yeah and we won't be either if she keeps up with this domestic abuse," Faith grumbled. Buffy narrowed her eyes at Faith while watching her pull herself up from the floor.

"I'm Steve," the man held out his hand and each slayer took it. "And this is the Mrs." Steve said as he threw an arm around the woman that was standing next him.

The woman stuck out her hand, "I'm Erin," she told the pair and exchanged handshakes. Erin was petite in size with highlighted strawberry blonde hair. Faith's eyes widened at the sight of the woman's cleavage. They were straining to break out of the low cut top she had on. As Faith eyes roamed she took in the low cut leather skirt that housed the pantyless pussy of the woman that was in front of her. She had on thigh high leather boots that were the color of blood. Without the heel on the boots she'd probably be around Buffy's height. She has to be a stripper Faith noted as she licked her lips wondering how that same outfit would look on her own blonde bombshell and she wondered if she could get Buffy to do a strip tease for her while they were here.

"I'm Buffy and this," Buffy took in her brunette's distracted trance, giving her quick slap to the stomach with the back of her hand, making Faith snap out of it and shoot Buffy an aggravated look, "and this is Faith." Faith winced at the hit she'd just received and rubbed at the sore area of her stomach, Buffy put every ounce of slayer strength in that hit and it hurt like a bitch. Faith turned her attentions towards the pair in front of her though.

"Buffy?" Steve repeated curiously. With the confused look the man now had Faith knew where he was headed.

"Don't even go there buddy, that's really what it is." Faith told him as she continued to rub her stomach.

"It's probably her stage name," Erin leaned in attempting to whisper into Steve's ear, but with slayer hearing both Buffy and Faith heard it loud and clear.

Definitely a stripper Faith thought with a chuckle. She glanced at Buffy and saw that she was glaring at her.

"So you guys are married," Faith stated the obvious turning quickly to look at the couple, trying to divert her seething girl's stare away from her.

"Yes," Erin replied happily, "we just got married a few hours ago."

"A few hours ago?" The couple nodded with matching wide smiles. "You just got married a few hours ago and you're out here and not back in the room getting with the 'uugnh'?" Faith crudely motioned and gave a sound effect to boot.

"Something's definitely wrong with this picture dude," Faith laughed heartily and slapped Steve on the arm. He winced and rubbed at the area as the pain set in. "I know once we get hitched," Faith pointed from herself and then to Buffy, "girlfriend over here won't be able to walk straight for a week, right babe?" She nudged Buffy and turned to look at her only to be greeted with a scowling, red-faced Buffy. Faith quickly cleared her throat and turned back to the couple as she hurriedly grabbed up their luggage from the floor, "Uh, yeah well...congratulations and all that good shit to both of ya," she gave a quick nod and pushed passed the couple out of the elevator.

"Um...thanks," Steve yelled after her with a bewildered expression.

Buffy watched as her wife to be rushed out of the elevator and then turned her attention back to Steve and Erin, she smile politely when she spoke, "Really, congratulations you two...you make a lovely couple. I wish you all the best." Buffy then exited the elevator and trotted off after her soon to be _dead_ wife.

* * *

After the elevator doors closed, Kennedy turned to Willow and opened her mouth to insist that something was going on, but Willow quickly cut her off with a wave of the hand as she pulled Kennedy towards their room. Kennedy halted in the hallway as Willow stumbled back slightly from the sudden stop. She turned to look at Kennedy, "Our room's in the other direction," Kennedy told her as she turned in the other direction. Stopping in front of their room, "Keycard is in my pocket," Kennedy instructed seeing as her hands were full. Willow dug both her hands into the front pockets of Kennedy's pants, taking longer than necessary as she clutched at the top Kennedy's thighs through the fabric before she finally pulled out the keycard.

Kennedy grinned at her usually shy girlfriend, "You so just did that on purpose didn't you?"

"I so just did," Willow giggled at the brunette as she turned to open the door. She slid the keycard a few times and watched disappointedly as the red light continually lit up from her attempts.

"Something wrong?" Kennedy asked looking over Willow's shoulder, wondering why they were still standing in the hallway.

"Open," Willow commanded and the green light lit up and she turned the handle on the door. "Nope," Willow looked back with a grin, "nothing's wrong." Kennedy dropped their bags as soon as they entered the room and wrapped an arm around Willow from behind as the other moved her red hair aside, exposing her neck. Any other action from the young slayer was soon put on hold as her girlfriend deftly moved out her arms and ran to the other side of the room. "Minibar!" Willow squealed excitedly.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Buffy walked down the hall and watched as Faith tapped her foot in front of what she reasoned was their room. As she approached, Faith looked at everything but her as she took out a key card and opened the door. Faith promptly entered with Buffy hot on her heels as she slammed the door behind her.

"Holy shit B, look at this room," Faith exclaimed as she dropped the bags in the middle of the room and looked around. Buffy only stood at the door with her arms folded as she watched the brunette excitedly roam through the suite. Buffy watched as Faith walked over and ascended the few steps up to the large king-sized bed and unceremoniously dropped herself on it, apparently testing for comfort. She watched as her girl's smile grew wider and the word 'sweet' was heard coming from her lips, Faith was obviously pleased with the bed. Faith looked over to the nightstand and reached over and picked up a brochure, skimming over it. "Hey look babe, a brochure with wedding plans and shit." Deciding she'd leave all that up to Buffy, Faith tossed the brochure back on the nightstand.

Faith got up and walked over to a closed area that Buffy could only assume was the bathroom. Seconds later Faith emerged with a bottle in her hand and sniffed it, Buffy watched as her eyes lit up at what was apparently an aroma that was pleasing to the brunette's senses. Bottle in hand, Faith went over and opened the doors to the terrace and stepped out.

Seconds later, Faith voiced her amusement with what she saw. "Jesus B…look at this hot tub! It's fucking huge!" After moments of silence Faith's head reappeared in the sliding doors. "B?" Faith spotted her fiancé still standing against the door looking miffed. Faith rolled her eyes as she reemerged into the suite and stalked towards Buffy stopping directly in front of her. "Okay B, what's the what?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and poked Faith in the chest as she spoke, "You know what the hell the _what_ is Faith." She pushed past Faith and spun back around on her heels and stood with her arms crossed in that 'I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer' condescending way.

"Okay number one…Ow, that shit hurt," Faith complained as she rubbed the spot Buffy had just consistently poked. "You really need to stop being abusive girl right now. I thought we were past all of that." Buffy only rolled her eyes again. "Two…you can't be seriously still mad at that shit from the elevator." Buffy only stomped her foot and gave a prompt 'hmpf' as Faith moved cautiously towards her. Even though she was the love of her life and they were soon to be married, Faith didn't take the 'holier than thou' stance lightly.

Approaching the fuming slayer, Faith tentatively placed her hands on Buffy's hips and put on her best puppy dog eyes. "C'mon B, you know you're the only woman for me."

Not willing to budge, Buffy backed up slightly out of Faith's grip and pouted, "Yeah? Then why are you ogling other women in front of me?"

"I wasn't ogling!" Faith threw her hands up. "You pushed me and she just so happened to be standing there after I busted my ass!"

"Oh so this is my fault?" Buffy asked throwing her hands up in a dramatic gesture of her own.

Faith ran a hand through her thick, wavy hair and sighed. Deciding to pick her battles, she approached Buffy again. "No baby, it's not." She didn't touch her this time, Faith just stood in front of her looking sorrowful. "So whatever it is you're so pissed at me about, I'm sorry."

Buffy folded her arms again and scoffed, "Whatever it is I'm pissed about? Faith, you were eyeing Erin up right in front of me."

Faith grabbed Buffy's arms, unfolding them and grasping her hands. "Baby I was not eyeing her up, okay? I was only thinking how hot _you _would look with the stripper-wear on and if I could get you to put on a little show for me." Faith wiggled her brows.

Buffy's eyes widened. "She was a stripper?"

It was Faith's turn to roll her eyes. "Oh c'mon B, with that outfit? Hell yeah she was a stripper," Faith chuckled.

"Faith, _you _dress like that," Buffy said watching her fiancé's face. "So is there anything you would like to tell me?"

Faith's brows furrowed as she seemed to be thinking over what Buffy had just said before finally shaking her head. "Nah, you know I don't own any hooker boots, those I borrow from you." Faith grinned with her dimples on full display; she knew they were Buffy's weakness. She pulled Buffy's arms up, urging her to wrap them around her neck as she wrapped her arms around Buffy's waist. "C'mon baby, don't be mad at me. You're the only woman I want to see stripping."

"So no ogling?" Buffy looked up through her lashes with a pout as she brought a hand down to rub over Faith's cheek, running a finger around the dimple on it.

Faith leaned in and pulled the irresistible pouty lip into her mouth and sucked on it, causing Buffy to moan. "Only you baby," Faith said before slipping her tongue past Buffy's parted lips. Buffy accepted it willingly and brought her arm back up to wrap them tightly around Faith's neck. Faith brought a hand down and cupped Buffy's ass, squeezing it as the other slid under the back of her shirt and ran along the small of her back.

Faith began to back Buffy towards the bed as she felt her hands tangle in her hair. Faith opened her eyes and saw that at the snail's pace they were moving it'd take them all night to move to the king-size bed. She brought her other hand down to join in on the groping fun, and then she suddenly moved her hands down to the back of Buffy's thighs and dipped slightly and picked the blonde up.

Buffy immediately wrapped her legs around Faith and let out a squeal and pulled back slightly breathless. "Faith, what are you doing?"

"Just making sure the bed is gonna be comfortable enough," Faith said with a smirk as she approached the bed and lowered Buffy and herself down on it. Faith quickly reclaimed Buffy's lips and ran her hands along Buffy's thighs and settled more into the space between her legs. Buffy moaned into Faith's mouth at the pressure she was causing between her legs. She raised her hips slightly against the brunette, trying to get more friction against her aching center. Faith tore her mouth away and brought it down to Buffy's neck and nipped and sucked on it. Buffy threw her head back and her eyes were squeezed shut as her moans floated through the room. Faith pulled back slightly to see the love bite she'd just given Buffy redden. She pressed her lips to the smooth, discolored area and licked at it.

Buffy's haze was broken as she felt Faith's finger fumbling with the buttons of her jeans. "Faith, wait," Buffy pushed at Faith's shoulders.

Faith stilled her hand and raised her head, her lids were heavy and her dark eyes were full of want. She looked at Buffy with confusion showing on her face. "What's the matter, B? I thought ya know…with how things went earlier that ya wanted to. "

Buffy shook her head slightly. "I _do_ want too, but I...I just think we should wait baby. I mean earlier you were talking, and...and you were saying things, really naughty things, so I just..."

"I can say them again," Faith interrupted and lowered her head back to Buffy's neck to continue her task.

"Oh god, please don't," Buffy pleaded. "I don't think I can be resolve girl right now." Buffy moaned as Faith continued to suck on her neck. "Oh god, you're definitely not helping with the resolve."

Faith smile against the blonde's neck. "Well stop resolving B, and just let this happen." Her husky voice was low and it sent goose bumps running over Buffy's flesh.

Buffy swallowed hard and pulled Faith's head up to look at her. She looked into desire-filled chocolate brown eyes and shook her head again. "Nope." She ran a hand back through Faith's hair. "You're going to make an honest woman of me first."

"You have to let me violate you first before there's any honesty to be made," Faith told her as she turned her head to kiss the inside of Buffy's wrist.

Buffy chuckled before moving to sit up. She giggled at the unhappy grumbling Faith was now engaged in as she moved aside to lie against the bed. Buffy leaned down over Faith bringing her mouth close to her ear. She ran a hand along her cheek and slid it down the side of her neck. Her warm breath tickled Faith's ear. "I promise it'll be worth the wait," Buffy purred as she licked Faith's ear. "And I promise once we're married…" Buffy pulled back to look into Faith's eyes as she ran her hand down and entwined their fingers, bringing Faith's up to her lips to kiss and flick her tongue over them. "…I'll let you put them anywhere," Buffy's tone was low and dripping with sex.

Faith's eyes widened and the muscles in her pussy clenched as a flood of arousal seeped out of her, soaking her panties at Buffy's words. Faith brought a hand up to the back of Buffy's head, pulling her lips against hers. "God you're such a fucking tease," Faith mumbled between kisses.

Buffy pulled back with a sexy smirk. "But you love it, don't you?"

Faith only smiled as she leaned up to kiss Buffy before falling back down against the bed and locking brown eyes with green ones. "I love _you_," Faith told her.

"Aww." Buffy's smirk turned into a look of adoration at her fiancé's sudden announcement. Buffy cupped Faith's face and leaned down and pressed her lips against hers briefly. "I love you too baby." Faith sighed and brought her arms up to wrap around Buffy, who lay against Faith and buried her head into her neck.

They laid there for a few more minutes in comfortable silence with Faith stroking Buffy's back. Buffy lifted her head and smiled at the content look on Faith's face as she lay with her eyes closed. "We should probably see what Will and Kennedy are up to. They're probably waiting for us so we can go out."

Faith chuckled slightly. "Oh please. This is Kennedy we're talking about, I seriously doubt her and Red are worried about going out right about now."

Buffy rolled her eyes as she rolled off Faith and made her way up to sit back against the headboard. "You're probably right," Buffy said eyeing the wedding brochure and leaning over to pick it up. "Her libido is just as bad as yours."

"I doubt it; I mean Ken is at least getting some on a regular basis. But me? Ya have me wound so tight I feel like I'm about to pop like warm champagne from the slightest touch from ya. A little head here and there wouldn't hurt ya know, at least it'd release some of this tension." There was a pregnant pause in the room after Faith's comment. She chose to crack an eye open at the same moment Buffy chose to smack her on the arm with the brochure she had in her hand.

"Ow! B? What'd I tell you about that? I'm seriously gonna have to put you into counseling. Being a slayer does not give you a license for abuse." Faith asked sitting up to look at Buffy with a disgruntled pout.

Buffy rolled her eyes but decided against an argument and settled upon another way to torture her horny slayer. "Whatever, just get up here and help me pick out a wedding theme," she patted the spot on the bed next to her.

Faith's mouth dropped open in horror. "Oh c'mon B, you don't need me to help with that."

"Faaaith," Buffy whined. "I want to make sure it's something we both want."

"Look B." Faith sat up. "I trust you okay? As long as you're not gonna have us walking down the aisle to 'Love Me Tender' with some Elvis impersonator waiting to marry us, I'm good." Faith flopped back against the bed. "Just do whatever you want B, I promise I'll love it." Faith looked thoughtful for a moment. "And even if I don't I promise to say I do just to make you happy." Faith dared a glance at Buffy and the look on the blonde's face said it all. Faith rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay," she grumbled as she made her way up and sat beside Buffy against the headboard. "But if I'm doing something you want, you have to do something _I _want." Faith told her as she situated herself in a more comfortable position.

"What?" Buffy exclaimed looking a little more than pissed. "You seriously can't be trying to negotiate any terms for us getting married."

"Well, no…not really," Faith told her.

"Faith!" Buffy yelled causing Faith to flinch. "Do you not want to get married?"

"Of course I do!" Faith retorted, slightly resentful that Buffy would ask such a thing. "I can't think of anything else in my life that I've done that felt as right than marrying you. You're it for me B." Buffy visibly calmed down and a small smile formed on her lips. "But I'm just saying, ya know," Faith continued, treading lightly and suddenly finding the bedding a lot more interesting as she focused and toyed with it. "This whole marriage deal is about compromise, right?" She risked a glance at Buffy.

"Right." Buffy narrowed her eyes and nodded slowly.

"So I was just thinking that we should _compromise_ here. I do something you want and you do something I want."

"We're not having sex Faith," Buffy deadpanned.

"Yeah I noticed," Faith stated matter of factly but at Buffy's scoff she continued in a hurry, "But I wasn't talking about having sex with me."

"You weren't?" Buffy asked disbelievingly. Faith shook her head. "Okay then, what _are_ you talking about?" Buffy folded her arms.

"Well I'm just saying B," Faith spoke adamantly now as she turned her body to face Buffy. "We're getting married soon, so I should at least be at third base by now."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Faith, what are you…a thirteen year old boy?"

Faith tapped the side of her head with her index finger. "Only in here," she grinned. "But seriously B, letting me taste it technically isn't having sex, right? I mean maybe it is when it's two chicks," Faith furrowed her brows thinking it over but decided to continue on, "But I won't slip you the tongue. I'll leave that hot little honey pot of yours well intact until after the wedding."

Buffy only stared at Faith for a few short seconds and shifted her legs and crossing them at the ankles, bringing her thighs closer together trying to diffuse the fire that erupted through her at the thought of Faith going down on her. Buffy sighed before she spoke calmly, "Faith, I think we both know that won't lead to us _not_ having sex."

Faith visibly deflated and shrugged, "Yeah yeah…I know, but I had to try."

Buffy shook her head trying to dispel all thoughts Faith's head in between her legs and her actually slipping her tongue inside of her, rather than trying not to. She let out a shaky sigh and turned her attention back to the brochure. "Okay, let's look at our choices…"

"I wasn't done," Faith told her.

Buffy sighed and tried not to seem annoyed. "Okay sweetheart, go ahead."

"Well…," Faith drew out the word, "how about some making out…without the clothes." Buffy opened her mouth to say something but Faith cut her off, "I swear I won't try anything more, we can even keep the underwear on."

"Faith are you even wearing any underwear?" Buffy's eyes glanced down towards Faith chest and she could clearly see that Faith wasn't wearing a bra under her tank top. She watched as Faith nipples began to harden under her gaze. Her mouth watered and she licked her lips before she dragged her gaze back up to Faith's face to see a sexy smirk on her lips.

"I just want to feel you against me," Faith told Buffy as she leaned over to nuzzle against her neck and slid her hand under her shirt and placed it on her stomach. "Because you feel so good." Faith's husky voice rumbled through Buffy in wave after wave of desire. Buffy knew she wasn't even sure she could promise such a thing as not taking it too far with a half naked Faith pressed up against her. Buffy went to protest again, but was quickly cut off by Faith. "I promise, I'll be good. I'll stay above the underwear." Faith licked along Buffy's collarbone and caressed her stomach.

Buffy let out whimpering sighs as Faith continued to lick and suck her neck. Buffy knew if she didn't stop her, she'd end up looking like a spotted leopard from all the hickeys Faith were probably giving her. She drove a hand into Faith's hair, letting the brunette linger a little longer before she pulled her head back. "Okay," Buffy agreed breathless.

"Yeah?" Faith eyes lit up, she really wasn't expecting Buffy to go along with what she asked. Even if she hadn't, Faith knew she would've still gone along with making whatever wedding plans Buffy wanted.

Buffy nodded her head and gave Faith that cute little half smirk of hers. "Yeah…I guess I can compromise with some R rated actiony bits before we're married." Faith's grin was wide as she leaned in to kiss Buffy, but she was halted by Buffy's hand still grasping her hair, "But don't forget your promise," Buffy said as she released her grip on Faith's head.

Faith shook her head as she leaned in a placed a kiss on Buffy's lips. "I won't." She sat back against the headboard cheerily, like a kid who was about to get away with something and looked over at Buffy. "Okay, Princess, show me whatcha got."


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: Thanks once again for the reviews that I've received for this, especially the ones who've done continious reviews, you guys are awesome! Also thanks for those of you that have added it to your story alerts, for me that's looked at as a compliment as well, although, it'd be great if I could get reviews from you guys as well. It's not so much as a review count thing, but more of verbally letting me know that you're actually enjoying the story thing, and yeah it does feed the muse's ego a little :)**

**Well, here is another chapter and I know most are wanting to know whether or not they'll actually get married so, the next chapter should firmly establish whether or not there will be an actual wedding for our favorite Chosen Two! As always, hope you enjoy! And as always thanks to my beta!**

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**Chapter 5**

"Okay, so we've definitely narrowed it down to two, right?" Faith asked as she looked up from her lounging position on the bed with her head in Buffy's lap. Buffy pursed her lips as she looked over the brochure in her hand again. Faith sighed as she studied her wife-to-be's face. "C'mon B, pick one already."

Buffy scoffed as she tore her eyes away from the brochure and looked down at Faith. "This may not be important to you, but this is supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives and I refuse to settle for just anything!"

"This is important to me B, but you've already decided that you didn't want a suite wedding because you wanted it to be outside. Not to mention…"

"Which, let me guess, you're about to do anyway. I mean why do people say that, 'not to mention' when they're so about to get all mentiony and probably about something no one wants to hear," Buffy interrupted.

Faith narrowed her eyes and continued. "_Not to mention, _you've also already decided against my choice for the Palm Room theme…"

"You only wanted that one because it has a built in bar!" Buffy interrupted once again.

Faith sighed but chose once again to ignore her annoying fiancé. "Now that only leaves three other choices, two of which you keep going back and forth between. So will you please just pick one so we can call and set it up and do this already?" It hadn't taken long for Buffy to weed out what she didn't want from the brochure, but to Faith it felt like an eternity, especially with the terms to her end of the 'compromise' riding on her helping with picking a wedding package. Luckily, after an actual theme was picked, unless they asked for anything specific, the hotel took care of the major details. So Faith needed Buffy to decide on something and she needed her to do it 20 minutes ago.

"Fine!" Buffy exclaimed as she maneuvered her way off the bed.

"Hey!" Faith protested as her head fell flat against the bed. "What're you doing?" Looking to Buffy, she propped herself up on her elbows.

"I'm being proactive girl. Now c'mon." Buffy held a hand out to Faith and waited for her to take it.

"Where we going?" Faith looked at Buffy's hand with furrowed brows and got up, bringing herself to her knees on the bed.

"Since we can't make a decision between the two, I think we should just go and have a look at the actual settings. I'm sure that'll help with the decision making." Buffy wiggled her fingers still waiting for Faith to take her hand.

Faith groaned inwardly and grabbed Buffy's hand, pulling her forward. With a squeak, Buffy stumbled slightly before she climbed onto the bed and sat back on her haunches in front of Faith. "C'mon B, we don't have to do that." Faith brought her hands to Buffy's shoulders and began to massage them. Buffy closed her eyes and let out a sigh at the gentle ministrations her girlfriend was giving her. Faith watched Buffy's face, her eyes were closed and her lips were parted. She was sounding off with soft, sexy sighs and moans that made Faith groan deep in her throat and lick her lips. Knowing that the issue at hand wasn't yet solved, Faith cleared her throat, bringing herself out of the lusty trance she'd fallen into.

"Why not just let me pick?" Faith suggested as she let her hands fall to her side and mirrored the blonde's position. Buffy's eyes shot open at the question and she opened her mouth to refuse but Faith continued. "You've already narrowed it down to the pair _you_ like best. So considering I have to go along with your suggestions anyway, why not just let me pick between the two. Technically, I can't go wrong, right?"

Buffy looked thoughtful for a moment. She really couldn't dispute what Faith was asking seeing as she'd already shot down Faith's initial idea. So it was only fair that she let Faith pick between the two that she couldn't decide on. "Okay," Buffy told her with an easy smile, "as long as you keep with the massaging, you get to pick."

Faith grinned and returned her hands to their previous position and began to knead Buffy's shoulders. "Well between the two, I think we should go with the Poolside."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the setting is perfect for the wedding, reception and a buffet dinner." Faith beamed, it was the perfect one stop shop for the entire ceremony.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "So then, it's the buffet that has you sold?"

"We got three slayers here B, I'm being practical. Plus, it has cascading waterfalls and that sounds all romantic and shit, ya know?"

Buffy smiled. "Well, it does look romantic."

"Yeah and even though I know you're not completely happy with this not being your ideal wedding and all, I just want it to at least be something you're satisfied with," Faith said solemnly as she brought her hands back down to her side.

Buffy frowned slightly. "Why would you think I wouldn't be happy with what we're doing."

Faith shrugged and placed her hands in her lap. "Because I'm sure you're the type that has planned this type of shit since you were like five or something. With the perfect guy and the perfect dress with a big church filled with all your family and friends. But here we are in Sin City about to get hitched like a pair of runaways."

Buffy brought her hands up to cup Faith's face. "I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't like for Giles, Dawn and Xander to be here." She slid her hands down, caressing Faith's neck. "And believe me when I say that having a perfect guy, is nothing compared to having those." Buffy smiled coyly as her gaze dropped to the front of Faith's tank to stare briefly at the perfect breast hidden underneath before bringing her gaze back up to lock eyes with a smirking Faith. "But as long as you're here and saying 'I do', that's all I need to make this perfect. Besides, we have Will and Kennedy so it's not like it's completely family-less."

Faith nodded slightly. "I guess you're right. But when we get back I'd still like for you to plan the kind of ceremony you want in front of your friends and family."

"Really, you'd do that? You'd be willing to go through this entire wedding craziness times ten, all over again?" Buffy smiled brightly.

"Of course, I just want you to be happy," Faith answered shyly as she took Buffy's hands and kissed her knuckles.

"Does that mean you'd be willing to wear a dress?" Buffy asked in a playful tone, although she was being serious.

"Don't even go there, Blondie," Faith retorted.

"Fine, as long as you show up. So, I guess it looks like we're doing this Poolside." Buffy pulled herself up on her knees in front of Faith and wrapped her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. "I'm so excited and you're so sweet, you know that?" Buffy planted a kiss on the side of Faith's temple.

Faith wrapped her arms around Buffy's waist, embracing her back. "I try," she told her as she snuggled her head against Buffy's chest.

"Oh! You know what I was wondering earlier?" Buffy pulled back to look at Faith, who only gave her a questioning look. "Well, I was wondering if Lorne was playing here this weekend, I know he does a few shows in Vegas from time to time, so I was thinking about calling Angel to see if he was and maybe get him to sing at the ceremony."

Faith forcedly pulled out of Buffy's embrace with a look of disdain. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"What?" The look of confusion was evident on Buffy's face.

"Really B, you have to bring Soulboy up now?"

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked again, still not sure what the problem was.

"Whatever Buffy," Faith scoffed, and Buffy's eyes to widened in shock. Faith using her actual name usually meant she was pissed or trying to get a serious point across. "Oh don't give me that look," Faith told her as she roughly fell back against the bed. "You know good and well it's not cool to bring up exes at any given time, but especially that particular ex when we're planning our wedding!" Faith threw her hands up in exasperation. "You don't see me bringing up Robin do you?"

"You just did," Buffy stated calmly. "And even though the two of you went at it like rabbits when we first moved to Cleveland you don't see me getting all bent out of shape about it."

Faith rolled her eyes. "I was making a point, not gushing over how I needed to talk to him. Besides, I left him because of you! Can't really say the same thing about you where Soulboy is concerned, right?"

"Faith look, this is crazy. I wasn't bringing up Angel in a sense of 'let's have one last romp before I get married.'"

"Like he could anyway," Faith sneered.

Buffy shook her head slightly but continued. "I wasn't even really bringing _him_ up, so you're being ridiculous. And what's your problem anyway, I thought you loved Angel!"

"Why the hell would ya think that?" Faith exclaimed and raised herself up on her elbows to look at Buffy. "I tolerate Angel at best B, and I appreciate what he did for me. Helping put me on the straight and narrow then springing me out of prison, which _not to mention_, he only did for you! But love? HA! Yeah fucking right. I think we both know you got that one on lock!" Faith huffed and turned over on the bed and buried her face in a pillow.

"That's not true! He didn't do it for me; he did it because he cares about you," Buffy reasoned.

"Hey!" Faith raised her head slightly to look at Buffy. "Since he cares so much why don't we see what Angel wants to pick for our wedding." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and then she dropped her head back against the bed. "You and your fucking obsession with the undead," Faith mumbled into the pillow.

Buffy was truly at a loss for words, she was not expecting the response she'd received from the offhand mention of Angel and was truly dumbfounded at the brunette's reaction. She slid up on the bed to lie down beside her fuming slayer and hesitantly put a hand on her back. She felt Faith tense at the action but began rubbing her back gently in an up and down motion. "Faith," Buffy spoke softly not wanting to rouse the irritated slayer any further. "Baby, why are we fighting about this? I didn't mean anything by what I said and it definitely wasn't meant to make you upset."

Faith only lay there with her head facing the opposite direction, unspeaking as Buffy continued to rub her back. She slid her hand under Faith's shirt and closed her eyes at the feel of Faith's skin under her palm. She wanted to tell Faith that there was no way she preferred Angel's cold, dead skin over the warmth and softness she felt from her as she continued to move it over her back. However, seeing how things took a turn for the worse when she mentioned the souled vampire minutes ago, Buffy thought better of the idea.

Instead she decided to try another tactic, she pulled her shirt over her head, exposing the pink lacy bra she was wearing, then discarded the shirt over her shoulder. She then scooted closer, draping a leg over the brunette, her leg was resting against Faith's butt with her center pressed tightly against her thigh as she laid her head against Faith's. Buffy nuzzled her nose into the brunette's hair taking in the intoxicating scent of her partner. Her hand traveled lower to dip inside of the leather pants that Faith wore and her fingers teased the flesh that the tight confines allowed her to come in contact with. Buffy smiled at the low moans she elicited from Faith and slid her hand back up over Faith's back, feeling the tension that was previously there slowly melting away.

Buffy sat up, propping herself on her elbow and removed her hand away from Faith's back, bringing it up to sweep her hair away from her face and neck. She slowly ran her hand along Faith's toned arm and smiled as she felt goose bumps begin to form. She leaned down, pressing her body more into Faith and moaned softly at feeling her hardening nipples straining against the lacy fabric. "Mmmm," Buffy moaned as she brought her lips close to Faith's ear and licked and nipped at it before she spoke in a low enticing tone, "C'mon baby, this is your part of the compromise. You're not really going to make me undress myself are you?"

Faith's breathing increased and her pussy muscles clenched, hoping for some kind of relief for her throbbing center, but she remained motionless, still unwilling to relent in being angry. However, it was getting harder by the second, she knew Buffy was now topless because she could feel the heat coming off the blonde's skin and she could feel Buffy's hard nipples brushing against her.

Undeterred by her stubborn slayer and needing more contact, Buffy disentangled herself from the still motionless slayer and began working on getting her jeans off as she toed off her sneakers. Faith could feel every movement and hear the rustling of the fabric as Buffy shed her jeans and tossed them somewhere in the room. Faith squeezed her already closed eyes tighter as her arousal reached a new height, her clit throbbed and she was now so wet she could feel her own juices sliding down the inside of her thighs.

Buffy took up her previous position against the warm sexy body and placed her leg over Faith, once again pressing her now only panty-clad pussy against the strong thigh. She leaned over and placed a series of kisses on the profile view she had of her dark beauty, starting with a soft kiss against the temple followed by one placed on a closed eyelid, then down to her cheek. Leaning over more, Buffy placed a kiss on the corner of Faith's mouth and then her tongue began to dart out to flick her over girlfriend's soft, full bottom lip.

Buffy began to slowly rock her hips forward; she let out soft sighs of pleasure when her center came in contact with the thigh it was pressed against and her own wetness soaked her panties. "Oh baby," Buffy panted as her desire increased and so did the speed in which she rolled her pussy against Faith's thigh. Faith shivered and a low groan was pulled from her throat. She could fell the heat of Buffy's pussy against her, coupled with her tongue exploring and her warm breath washing over her lips each time she exhaled.

Buffy's hand found its way back under Faith's shirt and she moved it higher so that her fingers brushed along the side of the brunette's breast. Unable to keep up her angry pretense, Faith's lips parted as she groaned once again and she exhaled, sending a rush of warm breath across Buffy's lips. It was Buffy's turn to let out an approving moan as Faith turned her head slightly to flick her tongue out and brush against the one probing teasingly against her lips.

Faith turned completely in Buffy's embrace, as she did the lower half of her body slid and pressed more roughly against Buffy's aching center, causing her to gasp at the pleasurable sensation it caused. Faith wasted no time as she pushed Buffy back onto the bed with her own body, laying on top of her and capturing her lips in a much needed kiss.

The slayers' tongues battled fervently for dominance and their hands were everywhere. Buffy's hands alternated between grasping Faith's head to running them down her back and over her ass. One of Faith's hands slid up over Buffy's breast, squeezing it in her palm and then running it over her flat stomach and sliding it lower to toy with the matching lacy panties.

Faith ran her fingers inside the top of Buffy's panties, but wanting to keep her promise of no penetration, Faith knew she needed something else to keep her honest. She tore her mouth away from Buffy's, both slayers gasped for much needed air as they shared an intense look full of adoration and desire. Faith pushed herself up slightly, leaning on an elbow as her gaze swept over the alluring figure beneath her. Her free hand soon followed her probing eyes as she ran her hand along Buffy's neck, down across her perfect breast and over her taut stomach, only stopping at the top of Buffy's panties and toyed with the rim of the fabric. "So fucking sexy," Faith growled as she tore her eyes away from Buffy's body and looked into beautiful, green eyes.

Buffy smiled sweetly at her love and brought her hands up, placing one on Faith cheek and the other behind her head bringing her in closer. "I love you so much," Buffy said before Faith leaned in and placed another, more loving kiss on Buffy's lips.

"I love you too Buffy…so much baby," Faith told her and kissed her softly on the lips again and then kissed the tip of her nose before she began her descent.

One of Faith's hands gripped at the lacy material of Buffy's bra and she brushed her thumb over the erect nipple. Buffy moaned as she brought her hands up to tousle Faith's hair and arched her back searching for more contact. Her enthusiasm was rewarded as Faith brought her lips to the other puckered nipple and pulled it between her teeth, biting it. "Oh fuck," Buffy hissed and pushed herself more against Faith's mouth, who then sucked on it through the lacy material. Faith then placed kisses between Buffy's breasts and began to lick her way down her torso.

As Faith continued to move down, Buffy pressed her hips into the brunette trying to get some kind of contact against her pulsating pussy. Faith circled her tongue inside of Buffy's bellybutton and then trailed her tongue down and dipped it inside the rim of Buffy's panties.

Buffy held firmly onto Faith's head, unsure of where her dark slayer was going next. She knew Faith had promised no penetration, but the state of arousal she was now in, her aching, wet pussy now screamed to be filled. Buffy was pleasantly surprised when she felt Faith's face press against her throbbing pussy and thrust her hips forward. The brunette nuzzled her nose against the Buffy's center and inhaled deeply at the sweet arousal that filled her senses.

Faith tongue teased the clothed area of her sexy blonde's entrance. She circled her tongue over the soaked area of her girl's pussy, pulling the panties into her mouth and sucking on it. Faith moaned deep in her throat at the taste of her girl's arousal seeping in her mouth. "God B, you taste so fucking good and you're so fucking wet," Faith told her as she pressed slightly against Buffy's pussy hole and moved her tongue in a circular motion, teasing the hole. Buffy gasped as one hand held onto the back of Faith's head and the other slid down the back of Faith's tank, digging her nails into her back and wanting nothing more for her to take it further.

Faith hissed at the pain Buffy was causing her as she clawed at her back, but it only spurred her on and Faith moved her probing tongue up to Buffy's hard, throbbing clit and sucked on it through her panties. Faith brought a finger up and pressed it against the soaked panties and against Buffy's hot entrance. Buffy whimpered at the contact before she found her voice, "Oh god," she moaned, "fuck that feels so good Faith." Her hips bucked wildly against Faith mouth and finger, wanting nothing more than for Faith to forgot about her promise and deeply fill her aching pussy.

Reluctantly remembering her promise, Faith begrudgingly tore her mouth away from the enticing sex in front of her. Even though Buffy was practically begging for it, she knew her blonde counterpart very well. If things continued in the direction they were more than likely headed, after the post-coital high was over, she knew Buffy would ball her out, demanding her head and blame her for letting it get that far.

The things she did for love, Faith thought as she brought herself eye-level with her blonde goddess. Both slayers were breathing heavy and they looked at each other with desire filled gazes. Faith opened her mouth to apologize for getting them both so riled up, but was quickly halted as Buffy plunged her tongue deep inside of her mouth. Not one to argue over a hot kiss, Faith gave back as good as she was getting. She pressed her body hard into Buffy's and felt the blonde slayer wrap her legs around her waist.

Buffy's legs moved higher against Faith waist, pressing her still throbbing clit against the seam of the brunette's pants. The pressure felt so good that Buffy began rocking her hips harder and more sensually against Faith. "Oh yeah," Buffy began letting out low moans of pleasure and soft sexy sighs that Faith drank down as she plunged her tongue deeper in her girl's mouth. Buffy moved a hand to the back of Faith's neck and the other moved to grasp her ass while her legs clenched tighter around Faith's waist.

Faith could feel the hot and wet constant circling motion against her. The sounds Buffy was making were becoming more high-pitched and her movements were starting to become erratic. Faith's own sanity couldn't take it as the sexy sounds filled her ears and her girlfriend's hot pussy continued to tease her. Faith tried to pull back, but she wasn't allowed because of the vice, slayer grip Buffy's thighs had her in.

Faith had no doubt that her blonde lover was indeed about to cum. She tried to pull back once again, but like before Buffy wasn't allowing her to move. Any other time Faith would have no problem with allowing Buffy to get off, hell she would even encouraged it. However, the fact that she hadn't even got to touch the sexy slayer the way she wanted to was driving her insane and the fact that she knew after Buffy came down, a mini meltdown would eunsue and no chance of reciprocation would be insight with Buffy wanting to wait to go all the way until they were married, Faith dropped her head, resting it in the crook of Buffy's shoulder as her girl continued her ministrations against her.

At this point, Buffy was too far gone to rationalize, her body was slick with sweat and her pussy was hot and the pressure was building inside of her as she use Faith's body to continue the delicious assault against her throbbing clit. Faith turned her head, resting it against Buffy's and grabbed onto the blonde's hips, trying to slow down her movements.

"Buffy," Faith pleaded.

"Faith," Buffy praised.

It didn't take long before Buffy's eyes rolled in the back of her head and she let out a pleasurable squeal as she arched her back and her pussy pressed harder into Faith. Her hand squeezed harder on Faith's ass as her orgasm washed over her. She moaned and bucked underneath Faith as she let out throaty moans as her pussy spasmed.

Faith lay motionless as Buffy continued to writhe underneath her. As she came down, Buffy began to slowly run a hand up and down Faith's back and she turned her head to lay a kiss on her cheek. Faith sighed heavily while she inhaled and exhaled deeply as the evidence of her fiancé's release slowly filled her nostrils.

"Mmmm," Buffy moaned as she brought her arms up to wrap around Faith's head and placed a kiss on top of it while squeezing slightly. "God Faith, that was amazing," Buffy said dreamily and she let her arms fall down to her side, allowing Faith to finally pull back to look down at her. Buffy still had her eyes closed and a soft smile graced her lips as she was still revealing from her post orgasmic high, "That felt so good baby, and you didn't even break your promise. My god that was..." Buffy eyes fluttered open and she could now focus on her fiancés face to see that she was not a happy camper, "Oh...oh god that was so unfair to you." Buffy said, sounding truly ashamed as she took in the look on Faith's face.

Faith only shook her head as she rolled off Buffy and sighed as she laid an arm across her eyes. "You do know you're evil, right?" Faith said as she moved her arm aside to peer out at her satiated girlfriend, but promptly laid it back across her eys and sighed deeply as she tried to control her breathing and her hormones.

"Faith, baby, I...I'm so sorry," Buffy said as she sat up and turned toward the sexually frustrated slayer. She pulled at Faith's arm, removing it from her eyes so she could look at her. Faith looked at Buffy emotionless, not giving anything away on how she really felt about Buffy getting off without her. "Oh god Faith, you just felt so good baby, and...and I got carried away. I didn't mean for it to go that far...I...I,"

Faith shook her head and chuckled slightly at her girlfriend's rambling as she moved her arm completely and leaned up and placed a small kiss on Buffy's lips, "Relax B, I'm not mad," she told her earnestly.

"You're not?" Buffy looked hopeful.

Faith shook her head and sighed, "No, hell that was wicked hot... but I am little disappointed that I'm still all kindsa worked up here from having you hump me and getting off and I didn't' get to join in on the fun." Faith looked down at the front of her pants, "Plus, you ruined the leathers. You could've at least let me take them off." Faith wiggled her brows slightly.

"Faith, I am so so sorry," Buffy pleaded, "I didn't mean to be a tease and I swear I didn't mean for it to go that far, but...but, my god the things you do to me and I couldn't help myself and...and,"

"Shhh," Faith brought a finger to Buffy's lips causing her to pout, "This just means ya owe me big time and I have every intention of making you pay up, Blondie," Faith finished with a smirk as she pulled Buffy on top of her.


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: Back with another chapter. I generally like to respond to each review that I get, to personally thank and address any questions that arise. I know I didn't do that with the last chapter, mainly because of laziness and working 12 hours shifts. However, I thank each and everyone of you for the reviews and I still plan on going back and answering the questions that were brought up. It's just the way I like to do things considering I appreciate the readers that actually take the time to review. Here's another chapter and as always, I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 6**

"Okay, Larry said all we need to do is go here," Buffy showed Faith a piece of paper with an address she'd written down, "get the marriage license and we're all set, he's going to call back to confirm that everything we asked for and the time we want is available. Then only thing we have to do now is show up tomorrow evening and vows will be made, I do's will be said then you'll be mine forever," Buffy told Faith as she placed the phone down on the nightstand. She then turned back with an adoring smile and snuggled against Faith's side.

After much groping and many hand swats, Buffy was finally able to make the call to the front desk where she was able to make the arrangements for the upcoming nuptials. Buffy had decided that having the ceremony Saturday evening would give them plenty of time to get a license, prepare themselves still explore the many wonders of Las Vegas after the ceremony was over. Faith of course saw it differently; she figured that after the wedding, her and Buffy would be holed up in their suite and wouldn't have time to come up for air much less leave the room and be touristy.

Faith turned towards Buffy and draped an arm over her hip, "I'm already forever yours B, I don't need an elaborate set up to tell me that."

Buffy's smile got impossibly wider as she leaned in placing a soft kiss on the sweet-talking brunette's lips, "That may be so, but I want to know that you're legally required to be mine."

Faith's hand slide down over Buffy's hip and over her thigh, "That also means you'll be legally required to put out whenever I say so," Faith gave Buffy a sexy smirk and a wiggle of the brows as she moved her hand around to squeeze her ass.

Buffy rolled her eyes playfully, "Whenever huh?"

"And wherever," Faith added.

"Hmmm," Buffy appeared to be thinking it over before she smiled and placed another kiss on Faith's lips, "I think there's a happy medium to be had between the two."

Faith smiled and slid a leg between Buffy's, pressing and flexing her thigh against Buffy's center. This caused Buffy's eyes to close and let out a soft gasp, "You keep agreeing to my needs B and you're gonna be a shoe-in for the best wife award."

"And if you keep doing that," Buffy indicated what she was talking about by rolling her hips to press harder against Faith's thigh and moaned at the jolt of pleasure she received, "you'll come in a close second for first."

Faith licked her lips as she watched her girlfriend's lustful face, she was still incredibly turned on from Buffy's earlier antics. She could feel the heat from Buffy's pussy against her and felt it clenching as she slowly rode her thigh. Faith leaned in and slid her tongue passed Buffy's parted lips, causing Buffy to moan and suck on the invading muscle while she ran her hand under Faith's shirt. Faith moaned and pressed her body more into Buffy as the warm hand traveled over her sides then over the small of her back and dipped down in her pants.

Shattering her resolve and her promise to stay over the clothing, Faith slid her hand inside the back of Buffy's panties and ran it down between her ass cheeks and toyed with the puckered entrance. Buffy gasped and pulled her lips away and panted breathlessly, "Faith," was all she could manage against the brunette's lips. She really didn't know whether she was about to protest or urge her on further.

Luckily or begrudgingly, depending on whose point of view it was, the phone let out a loud shrilling ring. "Leave it," Faith said as she captured Buffy's lips in another hot kiss, but Buffy pulled back.

"It…it could be Larry calling back to confirm," Buffy reasoned.

"If it's just a confirmation then who cares, besides he can leave a message or something." Faith tried to reason as well. Buffy only pulled back out of Faith's arms, causing Faith to groan in frustration and lay on her back.

"Hello?" Buffy answered and pulled herself up and leaned back against the head board. She frowned slightly, "How'd you know what room we were in," she asked, causing Faith to look at her questioningly. Buffy then pulled the phone away from her ear and fixed a glare on Faith, "You told _Kennedy_ your last name and not me," she said in an exaggerate tone and extended the phone to Faith.

"She asked." Faith scoffed and rolled her eyes before sitting up and grabbing the receiver, "What's up Junior?" Faith listened as she glanced over at her girlfriend, who had her arms folded across her chest with her signature pout in place. Faith couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips at the cuteness of it all, but the conversation on the other end up the line wiped it from her face, "Say what now?" She frowned at whatever it was her friend was telling her. "Now? I mean, of all the things we could be doing you want to do _that?_" Faith paused briefly. "Dude there's seriously something wrong with about Red, can't she go with ya?" Faith asked a little more than annoyed and listened to Kennedy's pleas.

Faith looked over at her blonde girlfriend, decked out in only her underwear. Figuring that Buffy may as well have been wearing a keyless chastity belt, Faith knew she wasn't any close to getting in those panties the way she really wanted to any time soon, so she agreed with the pleading slayer on the other end of the phone. "Yeah well whatever, I guess while we're out I can scope out a few places to make the most of my last night as a free agent."

Buffy's head snapped towards Faith and she frowned as she listened to her fiancé's end of the conversation. "Yeah aight, see ya in a bit." Faith said as she ended the conversation with the junior slayer and then handed the receiver back to Buffy, who placed it back on the nightstand. Faith pushed herself off the bed and searched for her jacket, eyeing it on the couch in the middle of the huge room she walked over and snatched it up. She searched the pockets and then pulled out her cellphone, only to find there were a few missed calls.

"What was that about? Buffy asked as she suspiciously looked to her girlfriend.

Faith scrolled through the missed calls as she walked back towards the bed and toed off her boots, "Oh Ken just wants to go out and do a bit of shopping. Damn, Giles has called like a million times, have you checked your phone?" Faith looked up from the small screen and over to Buffy.

"We've been together the entire time Faith, have you seen me check my phone?" Buffy snapped.

"What's the problem, B?" Faith asked, wondering what was up with the blonde slayers icy tone.

Buffy promptly got up from the bed and padded over to Faith, "You and Kennedy shopping? Faith, really, do I look stupid to you."

Faith looked thoughtful for a moment as she scratched her head. "There's a blonde joke somewhere in there but because ya look kinda pissed I'll refrain and say um…no?" Buffy narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. Faith couldn't help the smirk that played across her lips as her eyes roamed over Buffy's, the stance looked much less threatening and way to sexy while she stood there in her underwear. However, she still had the glare down-pat, "Look B, Ken seems to be obsessed on finding some replacement luggage for ya, I don't know why she feels the need to do that shit now and Red's apparently having a love affair with the minibar so she asked me to go with."

Buffy seemed to perk up a little at the mention of the shopping being for her and relaxed slightly, "Okay, so what's with the scoping and the last night as a free agent talk?"

"Well it's tradition to have one last wild bash before tying the knot and since that's happening tomorrow, I figured tonight's that night. I mean we're in Vegas babe, there's a strip joint and nightclub on every corner, and ya know what they say, when in Rome…" Faith trailed off with a shrug as she flung her phone on the bed and snatched up her bag and headed for the bathroom.

She left the door open because she knew the conversation was far from over and as expected, Buffy padded behind her and leaned against the doorway with her arms folded. This was the first time Buffy had gotten a look at the impressive bathroom, straight ahead was a large mirror that hung on the wall and under it was double sinks placed in a marbled countertop and the toilet sitting off to the left. There was also an entryway that Buffy could only deduce led to a bathtub or showering area.

"You figured?" Buffy bristled as she brought her attention back to her girlfriend.

"Yeah," Faith said as she pulled her tank over her head and stripped out of her leather pants.

Buffy shifted slightly at the sight of a practically naked Faith, her earlier assessment that the brunette was completely nude under her clothing was incorrect. "So…so we aren't even going to talk about this," Buffy managed as her eyes roamed appreciatively over Faith's toned, tan body and stayed transfixed on the black V-string clad ass that swayed in front of her as Faith bent down to pull something from her bag.

"We are talking," Faith straightened and stood in front of the mirror and opened her makeup bag and set about her task of making herself presentable for her last night as a single woman in Vegas.

"No Faith, you told me what your plans were and then you set about doing them," Buffy said as she watched Faith in the mirror applying ruby red lipstick to her full, delectable lips.

Faith rubbed her lips together and reached over and tore a strip of toilet paper and blotted her lips against it, "Okay so what…you want me to ask for permission?" Faith asked as she threw the paper away and grabbed her eyeliner and continued to do her makeup.

"No not ask for permission Faith! I just would like to know what my soon to be wife is planning to do more than ten seconds before she decides to do it, _especially_ if it involves her ogling other women!" Buffy yelled and stomped her foot at her fiancé's nonchalant attitude. "I mean do you even care that I may not want you to do this!" Buffy was now in full pout mode as her shoulders sagged and her head dropped, "Besides, I thought you said I was the only woman you wanted to see stripping."

The look on Buffy's face made Faith's heart clench and her own shoulders sag as she looked at her through the mirror; she was always a sucker for the pout. Faith sighed heavily and dropped the object in her hand on the counter. She walked over to Buffy and with her thumb and forefinger, lifted her chin so that she could look into gorgeous green eyes. "Of course I care and you are the only one," Faith's tone was soft and reassuring, "so if you don't want me to do this I won't. But really B, where's the harm in it? In fact, why don't you come with us…it'll be fun. You get Red sobered up while we're out and then we'll tear this town up."

Buffy pulled back from Faith's grasped, her eyes automatically darted from Faith's face to the bare chest in front of her. Her mouth watered and she involuntarily licked her lips as the perky dark nipples stood in attention in front of her. She wanted to run her fingertips along the hardened nubs and draw them into her mouth and make Faith forget all about going out and watching some stranger take off their clothes for money. "No, I…I don't think that um," Buffy swallowed hard and she struggled to continue, "I don't think watching girls take their clothes off and getting naked is my i...idea of fun." Buffy finished never taking her eyes off the perfect display of the human anatomy in front of her.

Faith grinned as she watched Buffy's face, "I don't know B," she said in a teasing tone, "you seem to be enjoying it just fine," Faith seductively ran a hand over her naked breast and then down her stomach and teased a finger inside of her panties. Buffy's gaze followed her every move, but her eyes flew back to Faith's face when she heard the brunette chuckle.

"That's only because it's your girly nakedness, not some…some stripper!" Buffy exclaimed throwing her hands up as she blushed furiously.

Faith laughed as she closed the distance between them and placed her hands on Buffy's waist, Buffy only stood there, pout still in place and trying to contain her excitement of having a practically naked Faith standing so close. "C'mon B, you may surprise yourself and actually have fun," Faith leaned in and pecked Buffy's lips, "and if ya aren't having a good time, I promise we can leave whenever ya want."

Buffy sighed and slid her hands over Faith's arms, feeling the goose bumps that formed as she did, and draped her arms over her shoulders, "Fine," Buffy resigned causing a huge grin to spread over Faith's face.

"Yeah?" Faith asked just to be sure, Buffy nodded in agreeance. "Told ya, B…best wife ever," Faith leans in for another kiss and Buffy wraps her arms tighter around Faith's neck pulling her body flush against her. Both girls moaned at the contact of their hot skin touching on one another, but before things have a chance to get out of hand a loud knock reverberates through the suite. "Kennedy," Faith says as she pulls back with a groan.

"Right," Buffy says as she disentangles herself from the warmth of Faith's body. Her eyes widened as she watched Faith walk back over to her bag and Faith peel off her thong and pull a pair of black jeans and her favorite studded belt out of her bag. She slid her jeans on and attached and fastened her belt and smoothed a hand down her thighs in assessment. They fit her like a second skin and Buffy's eyes rake over her girl's curvaceous hips and a shiver ran down her spine as they traveled over the now jean clad ass, she wondered how she'd be able to survive the night with thoughts of Faith being all commando girl.

Faith then pulled a tight, black halter top over her head and adjusted it properly over her impressive cleavage, the silver chain that adorn a silver cross that Faith always wore, landing neatly between it. The top was sleeveless and studded with sparkly silver stones around the low-cut V-neck and traveled down the front of the shirt. Faith reached back into her bag and pulled out her wallet and clipped it to a silver braided wallet chain and then hooked the chain to a belt loop and pushed the wallet in her back pocket. The chain clung to Faith's hip and contrasted perfectly against the dark jeans. Buffy couldn't help but appreciate the appearance of the dark slayer that stood in front of her. Faith then briefly ran a brush through her long wavy hair and checked herself out in the mirror one last time.

"How do I look?" Faith asked as she turned to Buffy and gave a sexy pose.

Buffy folded her arms again and leaned more into the doorway as she let her eyes travel over her dark beauty. She looked hot and Buffy couldn't help but be a little smug about the fact that she belonged to her. "Like you're about to go to a strip club and get yourself into all kinds of trouble."

"Perfect," Faith grinned as she walked out of the bathroom and over to the bed to put on her boots. Another knock sounded through the room, this one a little more forceful and insistent. "Hold ya fucking horses junior, I'm coming already." When she done, Faith grabbed up her phone and looked at the time display, it was a little past eight, which meant the night was still early. "Okay babe, I'm out…we'll be back in probably an hour or so, yeah?"

Buffy nodded, "Yeah that should be good. It gives me time to grab a quick shower, change and check out the damage our redheaded Wicca has done."

Faith smirked and walked over to Buffy, "Had I known you had showering plans I would've told Ken to give me a little more time."

"Well, I feel all…sticky," Buffy said teasingly as she ran a finger over Faith's arm.

"I would've been more than happy to help with the cleanup, in fact I still am. Just let me get rid of…" Faith was quieted by Buffy pulling her flush against her and pulling her in for an intense opened mouth kiss. Buffy's tongue darted in Faith's mouth and brushed over hers and then slid over the roof of her mouth, but as quickly as it entered it, it retracted. It only lasted a few seconds but it spoke volumes to the brunette, and as Buffy pulled back the stunned brunette was left dazed. Buffy wiped the smidge of lipstick that had smeared on Faith's mouth and with a satisfied smirk, she entered the bathroom and closed the door.

Another loud knock broke Faith out of her haze and she walked towards the door. Her hand was on the knob, ready to open it but Buffy's voice halted her.

"Faith?"

"Yeah baby?" Faith croaked, hoping that Buffy had changed her mind and allowed her to stay.

"Don't forget the wheels," Buffy said and closed the door.

Faith rolled her eyes and pulled the door opened. "Jesus, what took you so long!" Kennedy's voice rang out as Faith pushed past her roughly and closed the door as she grumbled something about along the lines of teasing, blonde and heart attacks.

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Buffy stood outside her best friend's room and knocked loudly on the door. Faith has said Willow had gotten into the minibar so she wasn't sure if Willow would be passed out or still bumbling around. After a few seconds she heard some stumbling around and the door flew open.

"Buffy!" Willow squealed. "Look," she held up two small empty shot bottles, "aren't they cute! And so convenient, you don't even need a glass." Willow demonstrated by briskly walking back over to the mini bar and taking out another small bottle, opening it and downing it in one go.

Buffy's eyes widened at her friend's seemingly unaffected guzzling of a shot, had it been her she would've been sputtering and coughing up both lungs by now. "Wow…that's impressive Will, but don't you think you've had enough. I mean shouldn't you save some for the rest of the trip?" Buffy tried to reason.

"Oh no, we can drink as many as we want…watch."

Buffy watched as Willow waved her hand and opened the door to a freshly stocked minibar. "Will!" Buffy exclaimed. "You're conjuring up booze now?"

"Yeah," Willow grinned, "pretty neat huh?"

Buffy shook her head, "No, Will, I think you should stop now. We're meeting Faith and Kennedy in less than an hour and I'm supposed to have you sober, so let's go." Buffy grabbed her drunken friend, pried the bottles out of her hand and pulled her towards the door.

"Where are we going?" Willow asked as she stumbled slightly.

"We're going to put something other than alcohol into your system and then we're meeting our wayward slayers for a night of fun. Can you believe Faith really thinks I'm gonna have a good time watching her ogling strippers." Buffy and Willow entered the elevator, headed to the lobby.

"I don't know Buffy, you may be doing some ogling of your own." Willow grinned knowingly.

Buffy scoffed, "I doubt it."

"Oh Buff, let her have a good time. That's what we're here for right? Anyway, Faith probably would much rather see you up their getting with the stripping. Besides, with your slayerness and being all bendy and…and poseable, I bet you could be a much better stripper than any Faith will be looking at." Willow said with a nod, trying to appease her friend as her eyes flashed white.

Buffy seemed to have come to a conclusion with a resolving nod, "You're right Will, Faith wants a show, well then I'll give her one she won't forget." The elevator came to a stop and Willow swayed slightly and held out a steadying hand with a look as if she wanted to puke again. "_After_, we get you sobered up." Buffy said as she grabbed Willow's arm and slowly ushered her out of the elevator.


	8. Chapter 7

**AN: Long time no update, yeah? Didn't realize it had been that long! However, here's another chapter and hopefully the next won't be so far off. For those still reading and reviewing, hope you enjoy! **

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"Looks like you could use a little help there buddy!" Faith grinned as she caught up with her friend and walked along beside her.

"Christ Faith, where'd you run off too? " Kennedy said in huff, juggling the newly acquired luggage she'd promised Buffy. She was currently rolling the largest two, while one was tightly tucked under her arm and the tote was dangling from her wrist.

"Had some shopping of my own to do," Faith told her as she shook the small bag she was carrying. "Plus, I certainly wasn't about to stick around and watch you obsess and go wade through each bag in the fucking store. Why the hell did you buy all this shit anyway?"

"C'mon, you know the next argument Buffy would've made about me buying her just one bag was that it didn't match her others. So I just saved myself the bitching out and bought a whole set."

Faith chuckled as she looked over the luggage; they were royal purple snake skinned, with buckled straps that ran down the middle. "Why do you even care? With the juniors coming in almost daily and with all the training we have to do, it's not like we do much traveling anyway."

Kennedy shrugged, not really knowing why she cared so much about Buffy's traveling accessories. "Just do. Besides, just in case, who wants to travel with mismatched luggage? It's embarrassing."

"Whatever Silverspoon, my trusty ole duffle bag gets the job done," Faith said as she checked out the tag that hung from the one under Kennedy's arm. "B should be pleased though, they're certainly expensive enough and most importantly...they have wheels." She flicked the inline skate wheel on the bottom. "You did good kid," Faith told her with a dimpled grin and a slap on the back causing Kennedy to stumble forward slightly.

Kennedy rolled her eyes but couldn't help but feel a little prideful over the thought of Buffy appreciating her efforts, but then a disconcerting thought occurred. "I couldn't find anything in pink; do you think she'll mind?"

Faith snickered as she glanced at the tense look on Kennedy's face. "Nah, it's not pastel but it's definitely girly enough."

"Cool." Kennedy let out relieved sigh. "Now can you help me with this shit?"

Faith stopped and looked thoughtful for a moment as she took in her friends struggle. "A'ight." Faith took the handle of the bag that Kennedy was trailing from her hand, then slid the tote off her wrist, put the luggage handle back in her hand and proceeded to open the tote and stuff her small bag inside. "Ah much better, yeah?" She grinned and started back walking towards an exit. "Now let's go pick up our girls and get this party started!" Kennedy only shook her head and continued to trudge alone through the mall with the luggage.

"So are you going to tell me what you bought?" Kennedy asked as she sank down into the leather seat in the limo. Finally they'd made their way through the crowded mall and to the waiting limo; Kennedy was finally able to rid herself of the luggage as the driver helped her situate them in the trunk.

Faith picked up the tote that was lying on the seat next to her; she'd refused to let it out of her sight. As she went to pull out the bag, her phone started buzzing in her back pocket. Pulling it out, Faith opened it and looked down at the text that Buffy had sent, telling her that she and Willow would meet up with them a little later and that she would call her whenever they were ready. Faith was sure it was Buffy's way of backing out on her previous agreement to check out what Vegas's racier nightlife had to offer.

"I knew she'd flake out on me," Faith said sardonically as she closed the phone and stuffed it back in her pocket and slouched down in the seat, laying her head back against it with a pout.

"What're you talking about?" Kennedy asked not knowing what caused the sudden change in the brunette's attitude.

"Buffy agreed that we'd have one last night of serious fun before the big day tomorrow. It was the only way I could get her to let me have some stripping action in Vegas, ya know. I mean seriously, who the fuck comes to Vegas and doesn't go to a strip club or at least catch a topless show?" Faith stated more than asked. "A tight ass that's who," she answered her own question in her ramblings. "I mean really, what does B think is gonna happen? Does she think I'm gonna go off and bang one of the strippers? I mean yeah okay, there was a time when I probably would've...but for fucks sakes dude, I'm getting married tomorrow! I would never do that to B." Faith finally took a much needed breath as she laid her head back against the seat. "Let's just go drop this shit off back at the hotel and get something to eat."

Kennedy listened, thoroughly amused at Faith's frustrated ramblings wondering if Faith was auditioning for 'best Scooby ramble' award. That is until what Faith said finally sunk in. "Wait...what the fuck? Married? You and Buffy?" Kennedy leaned forward to look at Faith in puzzlement, trying to figure out if she'd heard what she just thought she'd heard.

"Uh, yeah." Faith said as she pulled out a small box from the bag she had and opened it and took out another box. This one was black and velvety; she pulled it open to reveal a large princess cut diamond placed in platinum bezel setting. Behind it was a simple, complementing platinum wedding band.

"Damn," Kennedy said as her eyes widened and she let out a low whistle as she admired the sparkling stone.

"Well?" Faith said expectantly causing Kennedy to tear her eyes away from the ring. "You think B will like it?" Faith asked nervously.

"Are you fucking kidding me? She'll be walking around with a rock that could probably feed a small country. That must've cost a fortune. How many carats is that?" Kennedy asked in succession.

"One, and yeah, it set me back a grip. But she's worth it, ya know. Plus, I've been able to save considering the new Council actually pays us now, so it's all good." Faith closed the top, put it back in its box then back in the bag. "Oh and this reminds me, I want you to be my best man."

Kennedy's face lit up. "Oh you know it." She held her fist out, which Faith immediately bumped with her own. "But why does it have to be best 'man'?"

"C'mon Ken, you know damn well we're the dudes in the relationships," Faith said with an amused scoff.

"This is true, although, you do know Buffy is stronger than you," Kennedy teased.

"Get real Junior!" Faith looked insulted.

"Oh please, I've seen her hand you your ass many a time," Kennedy continued to taunt.

"Whatever, I only let B win those little sparing matches in front of the newbies because she likes to keep the pretense and illusion of being the 'best and longest living slayer.' B's got skills, no doubt, but I kick plenty of ass and we both know it'll start with yours if you keep it up," Faith said with a smirk.

"If you say so." Kennedy rolled her eyes. "Let me ask you a question though." Faith only grunted for her to continue. "If Xander were here, would you have asked him instead?"

Faith shot a look of disapproval at Kennedy. "C'mon dude, Xan and I are cool and all, but you know you're my homie, my sista from another mista and my first choice."

"Good deal," Kennedy said, seemingly satisfied with this and sat back against the seat with smile and closed her eyes briefly. They soon popped open and she sat up again. "Whoa...hold on! That was totally some off topic shit there and so not the conversation we need to be having. Just when the fuck did you and Buffy decide to get married? You guys aren't even dating!"

Faith looked dumbfound at the sudden change in the conversation. "What's your point Ken?"

"Faith," Kennedy pinned her with an 'are you insane' frustrated look, "do you realize that aside from the ever-present flirting and dirty dancing when we go out, that you and Buffy have yet to even kiss. Hell, you aren't even getting any, unless of course there's something you aren't telling me. And now you guys are about to get married?"

Faith's brows furrowed as she seemed to be thinking over some very valid points Kennedy was making before she finally shrugged. "Okay, so B's not easy, she wants to wait til we're married. I'm not a complete tool so hey I can respect that, and not that it's any of your business, but we've done...stuff," Faith reasoned, not wanting to go into direct detail on the recent close encounters her and Buffy had engaged in.

Kennedy scoffed, "Faith! Don't you find this a little strange?"

"Strange how?" Faith threw up her hands, palm side up and shrugged in a questioning gesture. "I mean I know it's your job as best friend to try an talk me out of this...tell me what a big mistake I'm making and how much ass I'm gonna be missing out on when I have to settle down and believe me, I've thought about that shit too, but I really wanna do this. No one else matters now. Besides, Red has you so whipped you may as well be married, so what the fuck is your problem?" Faith sat up, now clearly upset with her friend.

"Yeah whatever, I may be whipped but I've at least sampled the goods to know it's well worth the whippage, so don't you find it a little strange that despite the lack of your and Buffy being a couple, now all of a sudden you're about to get married?" Kennedy's voice raised an octave to emphasis the last word. "And there's the fact that you haven't even told anyone up until now. Clearly something is going on here. Maybe it's a spell!" Kennedy exclaimed.

Faith sat back against the seat again and frowned thinking over the facts that Kennedy just laid down for her and letting it all sink in. "No," Faith shook her head adamantly after a few moments of silence, "no...the only thing going on is me marrying the woman I love. Besides, the only person I know that could be casting any spells is Red and from what you've told me, Red couldn't cast a fishing rod right now with how much she's been drinking, let alone a spell. Plus, I'm sure that B has told her by now. So the fact that neither one of them is blowing up our cells mean nothing's up."

"Yeah well, I still say something isn't right," Kennedy concluded.

"Whatever," was all Faith said as she laid her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.

"I'm having Willow look into it when we find her and see what she says," Kennedy said with finality.

"Let it ride!" Kennedy heard her girlfriend say, followed by an uproar of cheering and applause. After they'd arrived at the hotel and divested themselves of their purchases, Faith had wanted to stop by the front desk to ask Larry to receive another purchase she'd made. This one was to be delivered to her suite and in case she wasn't in, she wanted to make sure it was in good hands. After agreeing and assuring Faith that her delivery would be well taken care of, Faith had asked if he recalled their respective partners leaving recently. He remembered suggesting the neighboring Mandalay Bay to the redhead and her taking off in that direction with another of the hotel's patrons, but the blonde hadn't gone with them.

This news, along with the fact that Buffy had all but cancelled their plans for a night out and was now not answering her cellphone, roused suspicions in Faith and Kennedy was appalled that her own girlfriend would be so willing to separate from her best friend. So they both had set out to find out just what was going on, thus, finding themselves in their current position. Faith was currently looking around for any signs of her wayward blonde girlfriend, while Kennedy had her disbelieving eyes fixed on her redheaded one.

There was Willow, donning a large white cowboy hat and standing at the end of the craps table shaking her fist. With a final shake and a swing of her arm, she threw the dice down the table. "Another winner!" The Stickman yelled after a few seconds of suspenseful silence and once again the crowd was in an uproar as the payouts began.

"Honey, I swear you're my lucky penny tonight," an aging plump man dressed in a white three piece suit with a white apache scarf tied at the neck said with a thick Texas drawl, with a cheeky grin on his face. He threw an arm around Willow's neck and hugged her to him, if there was any question where the hat Willow was wearing came from, one look at the man and it was answered. "Hey! What the hell!" The man yelled as his arm was swiftly removed from around the girl's neck.

"Kenny!" Willow yelped as she spun to see that her girlfriend had grabbed the man's arm and had it in an arm lock behind his back as she roughly pushed him against the table. "Baby, what are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing! What are you doing with this pig?" Kennedy yelled and shoved the man's arm higher causing him to yelp louder.

"Well I was just moseying along and this nice gentleman told me I had the face of lady luck and asked me to blow on his dice and I did, then he won. Oh and look," Willow held up a clear cup that held a red, frosty, slush type drink in it, "the more I play, the more of these they bring me." Willow took a healthy sip of her drink and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand with a grin.

"Damn Red, you stacked all that?" Faith asked as she approached the table after failing to see the blonde slayer anywhere in the vicinity.

"I did," Willow beamed.

Faith looked impressed as she took in the number of assembled colored chips that was on the table in front of them. "When I hit the tables I'll make sure you get to blow on my...," Faith trailed off and cleared her throat as she took in the displeased look on the younger slayers face.

"I'm sure that's not all he was planning on asking you to blow," Kennedy muttered.

Hearing the comment of his assaulter the man decided to speak for himself. "Look," he groaned out causing Kennedy to turn her attention back to him. "I've lost a pretty penny in this here filthy town and this young lady has helped me win most of that back here tonight. I had no other plans other than winning my money back. I asked her to blow on the dice and I told her she couldn't lose, she agreed that she couldn't and then hell, she never did! I don't know about you, but those are pretty damn good odds to me!"

"Yeah but that doesn't mean you get to put your greasy hands all over my girl," Kennedy growled and applied more pressure, to the man's arm; surely it was on the verge of snapping. Faith looked around and saw the appalled look on the people's faces around them, but she also saw a few burly characters talking into headsets heading their way and she knew that was never a good sign.

"Hey ease up there Junior," she told Kennedy as she placed a hand on the one that currently held the man down on the table, "we need to clear out of here...like now, before we get thrown out."

Kennedy followed Faith's line of sight and saw the guys pushing their way through the crowd; with a sneer she released the man. She grabbed the drink from the protesting witch and sat it on the table. She then swiped the hat off Willow's head and threw it on top of the prone figure as the Texan slouched against the table and grabbed Willow's hand and walked away from the table. There were a number of grumbles that came from the people standing around, mainly because the redhead was currently winning them a lot of money, but the biggest gripe came from man who apparently hadn't had enough. He stood up, clutching his arm. "Hey now! Where you going Red?" The man's accent more prominent as his temper seemingly flared despite his previous position, "I haven't won all of my money back yet."

"Hey!" Faith got in the man's face and leered threatening at him while keeping a wary eye on the advancing security guards. "Only I get to call her that Boss Hog, and consider yourself lucky you still have that fucking arm." She poked him in the chest with every word she spoke and turned to walk off but turned back around quickly, causing the man to flinch. "Oh, and I'll be taking a few of these," Faith grabbed a handful of the colored chips that were piled up in front of the man, "ya know...for my friend's services," she said with a grin before briskly walking away from the table.

Faith found the pair outside of the casino near the front door wrapped up in a tight embrace. "Oh please, Ken here nearly breaks a guy's arm and she gets cuddles, if it were me, I'd be getting a lecture right about now," Faith said playfully as she approached the two.

"Yeah well, I think it's safe to say that the guy would've been wheeled out of here on a gurney and the casino would've been a free for all brawl if it were you Faith."

Faith chuckled as she stopped alongside the pair and handed Willow the chips. "Here ya go, Rainman."

Willow grinned as she held out her hands. "Pretty," she said as she looked at the array of color, not even knowing how much she really held in her hands.

"Okay, so where's Buffy?" Faith asked the million dollar question, wasting no more time in trying to find out just where her fiancé was, she anxiously waited for an answer. Faith wasn't even pissed anymore that the blonde had skipped out on their night out to be god knows where, nor was she worried about her fiancés safety, she knew Buffy could take care of herself. No, the lovesick brunette was just starting to miss her bubbly blonde girlfriend and she wanted to find her now rather than later.

"Oh," Willow said and looked around as if she was looking for the blonde slayer, "well...we were eating, she was there, and then she wasn't. Oh, oh...he knows!" Willow exclaimed, dropping some of her chips as she motioned to a man that was exiting the casino and walking their way.

"There you are!" The man exclaimed as he walked up to the three girls. "I'm glad you're okay, I saw what was going on, but I lost you in the shuffle. Boy am I glad you're okay, your friend promised to do hurtful things to me if anything happened to you. She's a little thing but she was very convincing," he explained as he looked Willow over.

"Steve?" Faith questioned, remembering him as the man that she and Buffy had encountered earlier in the day as they were heading towards their suite.

"You know this guy?" Kennedy asked, keeping a suspicious eye on Steve. The younger slayer didn't mind bending a few more arms of anyone hitting on her girl.

"Yeah, well sort of...B and I ran into him and his wife earlier. What the hell are you doing here with Red and do you know where Buffy is?" Faith asked, but it was clearly Kennedy who wanted answers as she eyed the man, wanting to know just how this guy knew her girlfriend and why he was here with her.

"Oh, Erin and I bumped into her and Buffy about an hour ago at the Verandah while having dinner. They started talking about dancing and when Erin had to go to work, Buffy wanted to tag along. This one here wanted to have a little fun so I told Buffy I'd keep an eye on her and we'd meet up later at the club. I was supposed to be teaching her how to play, but she's a natural. She never lost!" Steve said enthusiastically.

"So we heard," Kennedy rolled her eyes, and turned to look to see her girlfriend grinning goofily at her. "What?" Kennedy grumbled.

"Relax, grumpy pants. We're here to have fun remember." And Kennedy did remember, before they left, Willow was griping about the WIT's and Kennedy made her promise to just put all things that were going on at the school behind her for the weekend and just let loose. She also remembered that she wanted to talk to Willow about what was going on with Buffy and Faith, but she figured she could let it go for now. At least she still had tomorrow before the actual wedding was supposed to take place and Willow couldn't stay inebriated the entire trip. Could she? With a resigned sigh, Kennedy decided against ruining any kind of fun her girlfriend was having and nodded, placing a chaste kiss on her the Wicca's lips.

"Okay so where's this club you're supposed to be meeting at, and at what time?" Faith pushed on.

Steve looked at his watch. "Erin should be finishing up at the studio soon and then she'll start her shift at the club. So I guess we can head on over."

"Studio, she does porn too?" Faith raised a questioning brow.

"Goodness no!" Steve quickly dismissed the thought. "Erin teaches as well, she's..." he tried to explain but Faith cut him off.

"Damn man, how many jobs does this chick have?" Faith questioned.

"Who's Erin?" Kennedy asks.

"She's a stripper," Faith responded.

"Dancer," Steve corrected.

"Whatever," Faith said indifferently.

"She's very pretty," Willow chimed in; "with the big..." she made a motion in front of her chest to indicate what she meant.

"Will!" Kennedy chastised.

"What? So I looked. Trust me, you will too," Willow said with a wiggle of her brows.

Kennedy shook her head disbelievingly then looked to Faith. "Okay so she's a stripper...,"

"Dancer," Steve corrected again.

"Whatever," Kennedy said and then looked back to Faith, "she works in a studio and a club, assumingly a strip club?" Kennedy looked to Steve.

"Well yes, but she..."

"...isn't a stripper, she's a dancer, right" Kennedy added as she looked at Steve with a smirk, "plus she has a nice rack," Kennedy turned to a nodding Willow and then back to Faith who was also nodding her affirmation remembering the girl in question from earlier, "dude you're sure she isn't a porn star?"

"Positive!" Steve exclaimed.

"Okay, so given all of the above...what's Buffy doing hanging out with this chick?" Kennedy questioned.

Faith shrugged, wondering the same thing. "Don't know, but I'm sure as hell about to find out."

**Chapter 7**


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: Okay so really, really long time no update! Hoping there is still interest in this fic and I PROMISE (I shall keep it this time) that it won't take this long to update again. So please read and review. This chapter is a little longer than the previous ones and future chapters will probably be as well. As always, I hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 8**

Faith anxiously tapped her fingers on the hood of the limo, leaning against the open door with her arms outstretched across the roof as they waited for Steve. They had offered to let him join them in the limo, but knowing that the club didn't close until four a.m. and that the night could be long for Erin, he had insisted that he drive his own car. Kennedy and Willow were already seated in the limo, unaware of the brunette's apprehension about where the blonde slayer was and exactly what it was she was doing. Faith could hear Willow animatedly rambling on about the gambling statistics and listened as she expressed her desire to visit the casino again before their trip was over.

Faith pushed herself off the limo and sighed deeply, wondering just what the hell was taking Steve so long to retrieve his car from the hotel parking garage. She reached into her back pocket, getting ready to call her absent fiancé again, and hoping that she'd answer this time. She flipped open the phone and just as she was getting ready to hit the programmed speed dial number for Buffy, the phone's display lit up and the device vibrated in Faith's hand.

"Christ B, where the hell are you? I've called you like a million times already!" Faith scolded the blonde immediately as she answered her phone.

"_Hey baby. Yeah, I see that you've called, I got a little busy. Sorry,"_ was Buffy's tenuous reply.

Faith scoffed, "Busy? Doing what exactly?"

"_Will and I ran into Erin and Steve, you remember the couple we bumped into on the elevator earlier right? The girl you were making with the bulging cartoon eyes over?"_

"Yeah I remember," Faith replied sharply as she paced back and forth in front of the door on the sidewalk.

Buffy pressed on, unfazed by her girlfriend's snippiness. "_Well I was curious and started asking Erin about where she worked. We started talking and even though I'm not particularly happy about taking you to the place that the same girl you so openly ogled in front of me work, I thought it'd be a good spot for you to have this little outing you so desperately deem necessary. So I thought I'd scout it out before we all actually headed over. But Erin had somewhere else she had to go before the club so I just tagged along there as well. So that's why I told you I'd meet you a little later, it was strictly for research purposes only; you know a plan is nothing without a little research." _

Faith chuckled at her girlfriends babbling and shook her head; leave it to Buffy to make a mission out of going to a strip club. She knew Buffy was eccentric at best of times and she could picture her out casing strip joints and even interviewing the girls, trying to find a suitable place, probably one that didn't allow the girls to take off too much clothing. "We're slayers B, we don't do research, we let the geeks deal with that shit and point us in the direction of what we need to slay."

"_Yes well, their fiancés aren't out looking for the first place with big breasted girls to shake their tits and ass for them either, so trust me, a little research was in order." _Buffy said with an air of finality; confident that she'd found the right place and had done the right thing. "_But this past hour has been like torture without you, the minutes seem so much longer when we're apart. I miss you sooo much."_

A small smile formed on Faith's lips as she stopped her pacing and took up her previous position leaning against the doorjamb with one arm outstretched as the other held on to her cellphone. She could hear the pout that she knew had formed on Buffy's mouth and she ached to pull the pouty bottom lip between her own and kiss it away. "Miss you too, babe. Had I known how much, I never would've let ya out of my sight, don't think I will ever again." Faith spoke yearningly as she folded her arm in front of her and rested her chin against it and sighed.

"_Well it serves you right for wanting to go out and do this. But I forgive you, we'll just throw it on the learning curve of 'never again' and after tomorrow, you never have to again."_

Faith chuckled. "I think I can live with that."

"_I thought you might,"_ Buffy snickered. _"Okay, so we're going to pick Willow and Steve up, I'll send you the address of the club and meet you there in a little while, 'kay?"_

"Oh we have the high roller right here, we met up with her and Steve a little while ago at the Mandalay, we're actually about to follow Steve over to the club." As if on cue, Steve's black BMW pulled up alongside the limo and he honked his horn. Faith gave him a thumbs up and pushed herself away from the car.

"_Oh, well goodie. That saves us from having to go back down to the strip. Guess I'll see you soon then…I love you, baby."_

"Love you too B," Faith replied before she ducked her head and got into the limo and closed the door. "Bye babe, see ya soon." Faith closed the phone, effectively disconnecting the line.

"Was that Buffy?" Kennedy asked as Faith sat back against the seat across from her and Willow; Faith nodded in response. "So we ready to roll then?"

"Yeah Steve just pulled up, so we're ready to motor," Faith told her as she slid her phone back into her pocket.

"Oh good." Willow perked up and hit a button on the arm of the door, causing the privacy window that separated them from the driver to descend. "Follow that car!" Willow yelled and pointed to Steve's BMW as he pulled out in front of them. The driver nodded his understanding and started the vehicle, putting it into gear and following the vehicle pointed out by the rambunctious redhead. "I've always wanted to do that," Willow confided as she sat back against the seat with a wide grin.

"Something tells me you're going to be checking off a lot of things you've always wanted to do before this weekend is over Red." Faith chuckled as she settled more deeply into the leather seat.

* * *

After the fairly short walk from the neighboring hotel's parking garage, once again, Faith found herself anxiously waiting. There she stood, in line outside the gentleman's club, her idled disposition behind a slew of people was now the only barrier between her and her heart's desire. Her patience was becoming increasingly thin.

"Ah here we go," Steve said as the doorman, accompanied by a burly bouncer, began letting people in. "This place is usually busier on the weekends as you can imagine, so it takes a little longer to get checked in." Taking out his wallet, Steve generously paid the twenty dollar cover charge for him and each of his companions seeing as it was their first time at the club and they were more or less his wife's guests.

After passing through the coat check area, where Faith refused to divest herself of her leather jacket; in it was held a small fortune and she refused to let it out of sight until it was placed on Buffy's finger, they had to check all electronic devices before they were able to step into the main area of the club. Faith noted that although it wasn't the largest it was definitely one of the nicest strip joints she'd been in, though compared to the dives she'd snuck and haggled her way into, that wasn't saying much.

The room was dark with a sexy atmosphere, made more alluring by the soft red glow of the lamps that hung above the red booth like chairs that lined the walls. In front of each of the booths were semi-circular lounge chairs and tables with the same semi-circular design.

There were three smaller themed stages in addition to a main stage; all of which provided close-up views of the girls and featured a pole for pole dancing. Each stage made an attempt to provide a fantasy. One was piano shaped for the music lovers, another was made to mimic an executive conference table, for the executive looking to unwind after a long, hard day at work and the last themed staged was a blackjack table, for the many gamblers that frequented the strip. Depending on which stage was used, each girl dressed the part in sexy attire aimed to please.

The main stage however, was a large central bar stage that allowed patrons to sit along the stage in a bar like setting enjoying their drinks and the show. It was void of any action at the moment, except for the few patrons that sat along the stage, chatting amongst themselves and with the girls of the club.

The stage itself, was a catwalk where the main attraction, other than the girls, was that the stage had a series of three dance poles placed along the stage. One was at the beginning, the second one was in the middle and the third one was at the end. The stage entrance held a large curtain that separated the stage and the back area that led to the dressing rooms backstage where the girls gathered and got ready and to the right of the stage entrance was a DJ booth.

Once she'd taken in the general layout of the club, noting more of the burly type bouncers placed about the club, ready to pounce on any unruly customer or anyone who got to grabby with the girls, her eyes immediately began to scan for the blonde slayer. Although her eyes landed on plenty of blondes, none was the one she was seeking.

The club had an abundance of scantily clad women who roamed around on full display, some leaving nothing to the imagination, while others left a little mystery for the viewing enjoyment of the many patrons that filtered in. There were guys, girls and much to Faith's surprise, couples with fists full of bills, some looking for that 'special someone' to get a little one on one attention from. Others openly flirted, simply looking to have a good time while having a few drinks and enjoying the shows.

A full-sized bar adorned the left wall and Willow wasted no time in dragging Kennedy over and perching on one of the bar stools with Kennedy standing closely beside her. Faith and Steve followed the pair and he promptly got the attention of the bartender and threw up four fingers. The bartender acknowledged him with a slight nod and a few minutes later he appeared in front of the quartet with four shot glasses and filled them with gold colored liquid.

Everyone knocked back the round with Willow giving an aggravated cough as the menacing liquid burned her throat.

Faith chuckled. "Oh c'mon Red, you've been drinking like a fish since we got to Vegas, don't tell me a little tequila has you wimping out."

"No," Willow cleared her throat as Kennedy soothingly rubbed her back, "no wimps here. boozehound girl here," Willow said defiantly as she motioned for the bartender to pour everyone another drink. "Yep. I'm all about the drinking." Willow said before throwing back another shot glass full of tequila.

"Atta girl," Faith said approvingly as she knocked back her second shot.

Kennedy looked on worriedly as she took her own shot. "You may want to take it easy babe. You're mixing a lot of alcohol. I don't want you getting sick."

"Psssh, I'll be fine snookum's. Bad ass Wicca here, think I can handle a few shots." Willow waved off the notion. "Besides, if Faith can do it…so can I," Willow said with a definitive nod of her head and she picked up the full shot glass that Steve had declined in drinking, and knocked back her third shot. She tried not to cough as the offensive liquid burned her throat for the second time and caused her eyes to water. "See…," she struggled through the burn but managed a grin, "alcohol go poof!"

Kennedy's eyes were at her hairline at hearing her "badass Wicca" calling herself a "badass Wicca". Since they'd met, Willow had always been humble and somewhat afraid of her powers. Kennedy knew it had something to do with the whole "evil Willow" ordeal she'd gone through back in Sunnydale.

It was something they were still working, and Kennedy tried her best to convince Willow that she was in control now and that as long as she was around she would do what she could to keep her grounded. Aside from teaching, which was done in a very controlled environment, Willow never used magic. This naturally made Kennedy more surprised at hearing her girlfriend's comment, not to mention the one or two magical displays she'd seen from her since arriving in Las Vegas.

Deciding not to comment on the red-head's newfound confidence, Kennedy choose to let the comment go uncontested, not wanting to spoil anyone's fun. She mentally rolled her eyes at the many things she had decided to ignore since the trip began. "Babe, Faith's blood type is 80 proof. I seriously doubt she's one you want to be trying to keep up with when alcohol is involved."

Faith grinned around a lime rind. "You know she's right, Red. You may want to take it easy with this stuff. You're dealing with a pro here."

"Phooey…I'm not intimidated by you slayer." Willow pointed a finger at Faith and then tapped the bar to have her shot glass filled again, but Kennedy quickly snatched it up and knocked it back before her girlfriend could get her hands on it.

"Oh fine, party poopers." Willow pouted and brushed aside the tequila bottle the bartender, ready to pour up more shots, held out in front of her. Instead, she ordered the fruitiest alcoholic beverage on the menu to soothe the burn of the tequila, while Kennedy took another shot of tequila and ordered a beer, Faith opted for her usual Jack and coke. Steve ordered a beer as well, knowing he had to keep it light and not wanting to lose himself in the alcohol seeing as he would be driving home later.

Suddenly the music's volume was lowered to an almost inaudible level and the lights went up over the executive and blackjack themed stages. The loudspeaker came to life as the DJ began the intros for the dancers that would be performing. Introductions complete, the lightning changed once more and the familiar thudding beat of 3 Oh 3's "Hott" pelted from the loudspeakers as the girls stepped onto the stages.

"Oooh," Willow exclaimed, bouncing around in her seat. "You have money right?" She hurriedly hopped down with drink in hand and grabbed onto Kennedy's hand looking at her eagerly.

"You just won a small fortune," Kennedy said as she fumbled with her beer, trying to keep a hold of it and her eager girlfriend.

"Yeah all in casino chips, which I highly doubt she'll appreciate for a tip." Willow pointed over to one of the tables that currently occupied one of the dancers.

Kennedy's eyes followed where her girlfriend was pointing. "Well, it is a blackjack table," Kennedy said lowly as she watched the girl on stage. She dragged her eyes away and blinked a few times as she looked at her girlfriend then turned and gave a dubious look to Faith, not believing the boldness of her usually socially reserved girlfriend. If there was ever an indication that something was awry, now was definitely it.

Faith only shook her head and gave Kennedy an 'are you kidding me look.' "Seriously Ken, your girl wants to have a good time and watch a strip show…_with_ you…and you're not jumping all over that shit? Why are we friends again?"

"Yeah but…," was all Kennedy got to say before Faith shook her head again and gave her a slight push in the direction that Willow was pulling her in.

Faith pulled out her wallet and turned to the bartender and held a twenty in front of him. "As long as this covers it…, she waved the bill in front of him before putting it on the bar, "keep the shots going for that one, yeah?" She said as she pointed in Kennedy's direction, then slid another bill to the bartender for his trouble. He gave a curt nod and took the cash.

After a few minutes of watching her friends having a good time, Faith gave a heavy sigh of displeasure. This was supposed to be her night and here she was in a strip club full of hot, half naked girls and a pocket full of single bills while her own hot blonde bombshell, who'd agreed to experience this with her, was nowhere in sight. Her eyes searched the crowded club again, hoping she'd spot her absent fiancé and once again coming up with nothing.

"So what are a Wicca and a slayer?"

Faith's eye's widened slightly as her head turned sharply back to where the question had originated from. "What?" she asked dumbfounded.

"When you guys were talking a second ago, Willow called herself a Wicca and you a slayer," Steve replied casually.

"Oh." Faith took a swig of her drink and her eyes shifted uncomfortably; she'd never had to give an explanation of their unique abilities. Anytime anything slayer or magic related had to be explained it was at the academy and on the off chance they had to show off their prowess to the public it was usually not her giving the explanations.

"Well um, it's just nicknames we occasionally call each other when fucking around. You know how friends do," Faith stated casually. Steve was nice and seemed to be a true gentleman but she really didn't want to explain more and she wasn't above telling him to just 'fuck off' if he asked more questions.

"Ah," was all he said and nodded his head in affirmation and turned back and leaned against the bar.

Faith gave a slight nod to herself, happy that he had bought the explanation and took another sip of her drink. She could feel the bass thudding through her body, awakening her need to move and touch as the alcohol was starting to take an effect on her senses, thus intensifying her need to be naughty. However, instead of being able to burn off some of her excess energy, she was stuck at the bar with someone else's husband, while their respective better halves were M.I.A.

After taking a long swig from her drink Faith stood, leaning back against the bar and gave a sideways glance at the man that stood next to her, finally stopping to really take in his appearance.

She noticed that he couldn't have been much older than her with his boyish good looks and sandy blonde hair which he kept neatly trimmed. He was dressed in starched khaki slacks and a dark blue polo shirt with a pair of dark brown boat shoes. He really looked out of place.

"So Steve." She turned slightly in his direction and raised her voice over the music to ensure he could hear her. She watched as he gave her a brilliant smile and his blue eyes sparkled. She chuckled to herself at the man's effortless boyish charm before returning his smile. "What's a clean-cut pretty boy like you doing hanging out in a place like this?"

"Well," Steve crossed his arms over his chest and leaned more into the bar, "me and my buddies would hit the strip when we took leave. You know how it is, new recruits looking to have a little fun and all."

Faith nodded her head. "Actually I do, but the last time I ended up being recruited and went looking for a little fun, it ultimately ended up with me in prison." Faith spoke honestly, thinking about her calling and her ending up in Sunnydale searching for Buffy.

Steve turned and looked at her, a little surprised that the beautiful brunette had been locked up. Faith only shrugged; it was the normal reaction she would receive whenever she chose to divulge in that little tidbit about her life. "So you're military I presume?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yes ma'am." Steve uncrossed his arms and stood a little straighter, no doubt proud to be serving his country. "The Air Force to be exact. The base is less than twenty minutes from here. I've been stationed there for about eight months now, but I'm originally from Iowa."

Faith rolled her eyes as raised her glass and spoke into it as she took another sip from her drink. "Oh great, another corn-fed Captain-Save-A-Hoe."

"Excuse me?" Steve asked, unable to hear the comment that was made.

"Nothing," Faith replied and chuckled thinking back to Buffy's previous relationship with the Iowan Riley Finn; most of what she actually knew of the relationship came from stories that she'd rather not have heard, but she was able to recall her own rather "brief" encounter with the soldier. "So where do you think our girls are, no offense, but my idea of fun isn't exactly standing around at the bar with you."

"None taken." Steve smiled genuinely at Faith. "But I definitely know the feeling. Imagine having to go through it three days a week." He said with a slight chuckle and no malice to his tone.

"So why do you allow Erin to do this then?" Faith asked. There was a fleeting thought that maybe she was being a bit hypocritical seeing as here she was, wanting to have her last hoorah and indulge in, if even as a spectator, the very act she was berating. However, the guilt gave way to curiosity as to why anyone would allow their girl, let alone their wife; continue in the profession that Erin partook in.

"I fell in love with Erin for who she was, not what she did for a living," Steve spoke genuinely. "I actually met her here so I can't exactly criticize what she does for a living seeing as my eyes were wide open when I jumped into this with her." Steve folded his arms again and leaned back into the bar, this time taking up what appeared to be more of a defensive stance.

Faith only nodded once again and gave Steve a hearty slap on the back which caused him to jolt forward. After all, she knew what he was getting at. You can't help who you love. "I hear ya bro. I mean Buffy and I were at each other's throats in the beginning…literally, and I'm pretty sure she hated me even though she claims she never really did. Now look at us…about to be married," Faith said with a smile.

Steve straightened, still reeling from the slayer sized swat to the back Faith had provided. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He looked at his watch. "But I'm sure Erin and Buffy should be here by now. Just sit tight, I'll have a look around to see if I can spot them, they may not be aware that we're here yet."

Faith only nodded as she watched him walk away. She took another sip of her drink, leaned back against the bar and let her eyes roam. She watched as the girls in the club worked the room. Some were sitting in the laps of guys and laughing and flirting, no doubt trying to sell a private dance, it's where most of their money was made.

Although several of the dancers in the club were eyeballing her, she didn't want to attract too much attention to herself and tried not to make too much eye contact with any one girl, seeing as that was usually an invitation for them to come over. However, she couldn't help it when her eyes landed on a petite blonde who seemed to be watching her intently. Faith took another sip of her drink as her eyes locked with the girl and it was all the invitation the blonde needed.

'_Great.' _Faith internalized as she watched the girl saunter her way. Her blonde slayer was a jealous one, and she knew the last thing she needed was for Buffy to show up while this chick was all up in her space. She tried to remain cool as she turned her eyes towards her friends and watched them take a spot next to the stage as the dancer on the blackjack themed table began moving erotically around the pole. She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she heard Willow yell an enthusiastic 'Woohoo!' and then slip a bill inside the stripper's G-string as she shimmied in front of the redhead.

"You know, you should be careful with those." Faith turned to see the petite blonde now standing in front of her wearing a see-through black teddy and stilettos. The girl ran the fingers of both hands along the length of Faith's cheeks before circling her dimples. "These are extremely dangerous on a beautiful woman like you. Keep flashing them and I can assure you'll have every girl in the place begging you to take them home."

"They do serve their purpose," Faith stated as she took another sip from her drink, never taking her eyes off the stranger in front of her.

"I'd like to take you to the back for a private dance. For you I'm willing to do a two for one special, I have a feeling we might need the extra time alone."

Faith scoffed slightly giving the girl a wry smirk. "So let me see if I have this right. You want _me_ to pay _you_ because you want to dance for me?"

"Girls gotta make a living, doesn't she? And I promise it'll be well worth it," the dancer cooed.

Faith's grin only widened causing her dimples to deepen as she sized up the sexy blonde in front of her. She was no stranger to being hit on and it only fueled her ego. She allowed her eyes to roam appreciatively over the girl's figure once again before bringing them back up to look her into her blue eyes.

Although the eye color was all wrong, there was the small petite frame and the blonde hair that any other time Faith would flock too. She would've easily snatched up this wannabe and pretend she was something, or rather someone, that could fulfill her nightly fantasy if she closed her eyes tight enough and conjured up the girl of her dreams. However, she didn't have to settle this time. Buffy was hers, and even though she was nowhere to be found at the moment, nothing in this world could make her forget about her blonde bombshell.

Faith blindly sat the drink she was holding down behind her on the bar and removed the girl's stroking hands from her face, placing them down in front of her. "Sounds tempting..." the girl's face lit up at this, "...but I don't think so. I'm waiting for my girl, she's…somewhere around here," Faith made a motion with her head, "and I don't think she'd like it to much if I wasn't here when she showed."

The blonde dancer shrugged nonchalantly. "She's a fool to keep you waiting." She smoothed a hand under the lapel of Faith's jacket. "But if you change your mind…I'll be around." With that said, she gracefully turned and walked away.

Albeit faithful, Faith didn't waste the opportunity to catch an eyeful of the retreating girl's form as she sauntered away. She shook her head with a satisfied grin, picking up her drink, she brought her gaze back to the raven haired girl she'd previously been watching on stage. The girl twirled and slid her hands over the pole to the beat of the music.

She was dressed in a white button down shirt that reached midway down her thighs with a black vest over it and a bow tie around her neck, giving her a blackjack dealer look. But, if the lack of slacks with the black thong that peeked from under the shirt and the knee high black boots were any indication, this beauty knew nothing of dealing cards.

"Looks like you're attracting a lot of attention standing over here all by your lonesome." Faith turned her head to the approaching female voice. "Some of the girls have been asking about you. Wondering why you're by yourself."

Faith smiled as she watched a scantily clad Erin approaching her with Steve trailing behind. Her smile quickly faltered when she noticed that Buffy wasn't with them. "I'm wondering that myself. Where's Buffy?" Faith asked when Erin stopped in front of her. "I thought she was here with you."

"She is." Erin smirked. "Don't worry you'll see her soon." Erin grabbed Faith's hand and pulled her along through the club, weaving in and around the tables and the other girls. She approached the bar stage and pulled out the lone seat that was at the very end of the stage and motioned for Faith to have a seat. Faith shot her a look of curiosity as she took a seat.

"Best seat in the house." Steve grinned as he too took a seat at the stage.

Faith looked down the length of the stage. It was currently inactive and dark except for the runway lights that were illuminated for the few people that sat along the sides of the stage. There were a few couples engaged in conversation and a few lone patrons scattered along the stage having a drink and taking in the scenery.

Erin draped her arms around Faith's neck as she stood behind her and brought her mouth close to her ear. As an automated response, Faith turned her head slightly in Erin's direction at the action. "Enjoy the show," Erin whispered seductively in Faith's ear, her hot breath washing over her causing the slayer to shudder.

She then slowly slid her arms up over Faith's leather covered arms to her shoulders before sauntering away. She chastised herself for the reaction, knowing that Buffy would kick her ass six ways to Sunday if she saw it, especially given her earlier freak out about her 'ogling' Erin.

Faith turned to watch as Erin walked away, Erin looked over her shoulder and threw a sexy grin and a wink at Steve. With a huge grin, he blew her a kiss and gave her a little nod before she turned away. Faith glanced over at Steve and saw that he still had a grin plastered on his face and didn't seem at all disturbed by his wife's flirtatious nature and the fact that he had to watch her take her clothes off in front of dozens of strangers.

She knew if it were her, there was no way in hell she would allow Buffy to do something like that. Faith sighed heavily as she downed the rest of her drink and placed it on the tray of a passing and asked for another.

As she waited a thought occurred to Faith. Erin. Here. Stripping. She internally panicked at the thought of Erin stripping and Buffy being present for it. Just how the hell was she supposed to act? They were supposed to be having a good time tonight after all. Surely Buffy wouldn't get upset if she actually did, right? They came here together so Buffy had to know that Erin would be one of the strippers on display tonight.

'_Fuck.' _Faith thought to herself as her mind was bombarded with so many questions. There was no way Buffy would make a big fuss about her looking at Erin when she was fully clothed earlier and actually be okay with her looking at her half undressed. It was a trick. It had to be. Buffy would act as if everything was okay, not wanting to make a big scene in public but when they left and were alone, Faith knew she'd be done for. Her girlfriend was a grade-A bitch when she wanted to be and she just knew Buffy was probably testing her.

Faith slumped back in her seat and tapped her finger to the music along the edge of the stage. She stopped her tapping and looked around the club as the music came to an end. She went over ways to avoid getting herself into trouble tonight and came to the conclusion that no matter who was on stage she had to pay her girlfriend as much attention as possible. It was a sure fire way to keep her ass out of hot water. Next time Buffy would not be invited to any outings that included women taking off their clothes.

"Oh yeah! What a show!" She heard the DJ yell enthusiastically as the music came to an end and the dancers sashayed off the stage and onto the floor. She watched as Erin sauntered over to Kennedy and Willow, threw her arms around them both and said something to them. "And we're just getting started because our next feature is sure to make you want to repent _all_ your sins," the DJ announced. She saw Kennedy give a wide-eyed, disbelieving look to Willow, as Willow nodded her head animatedly. Erin's grinned oozed sex as she took both their hands and led them away.

She tore her eyes away from the scene as the waiter returned with her drink and set it in front of her. She took a hefty swallow, feeling the alcohol slide smoothly down her throat and settle in the pit of her stomach, causing the butterflies to mellow.

"Damn," Faith said under her breath and chuckled as she caught sight of Erin taking her friends to the back area where the private dances were held. Kennedy's eyes sought hers out in the crowded club and upon landing on Faith she shot her an incredulous look as she pointed in front of her. Willow was holding onto to her hand as she dragged her off in the direction Erin was taking them.

Faith grinned brightly at Kennedy's seeming awkwardness and gave her two thumbs up as they disappeared behind the curtain. Faith chuckled and shook her head slightly as she absently looked at the entrance her friends had disappeared behind. She would definitely have to give Kennedy shit about being so reluctant to live it up with her girl in a strip club. Faith shot a quick glance to Steve and noticed the nonchalant look on his face as his wife disappeared behind the curtain with her friends.

Faith shrugged slightly and took another sip of her drink before she quickly snapped her head back to the stage in front of her and shielded her eyes as the runway lights were turned up brighter and the overheads snapped on, giving off a blinding glow.

"Ladies and gentleman…Are you ready for a little bit of heaven on earth?" The DJ's voice once again came over the loudspeaker to hype up the next dancer. "If so get ready to step through the pearly gates of _The Chosen One._" The DJ's voice was low as the name rolled from his tongue like a promise of good things to come as a dancer threw the curtains back and stepped onto the stage.

'_The Chosen One…oh hell no_,' Faith thought as she dropped the hand that was shielding her eyes and squinted into the bright lights. She could see the silhouette of a petite woman, which appeared slightly taller than Buffy and wearing what Faith deduced were angel wings shadowed behind her. The DJ started up another familiar tune as the opening beat to Jack off Jill's cover of "I Touch Myself" thudded through the speakers.

The lights were lowered and Faith's eyes remained glued to the woman on stage. She narrowed her eyes and strained to see, but she was still unable to confirm as she internally prayed that it wasn't her missing girlfriend that moved seductively down the stage while sliding her hands over her body, touching herself intimately as she reached the first pole and shimmied and slid around it like a pro.

As the intro burst into the chorus, the lights flashed brightly for a second before the floor lightning was lit and the overheads settled on an array of fluorescent colors that swayed back and forth and illuminated the dancer fully. It was then that Faith's eyes were able to adjust and her gaze immediately locked with Buffy's. Her mouth dropped open and her heart rate increased double time at the fact that Buffy, her woman, was now working her way down the catwalk of a stage in a strip club. She watched as Buffy winked at her before her lips curled into a sexy smirk.

Faith mouthed the word '_fuck'_ as she took in the appearance of her fiancé. She was decked in white and despite the wings that were attached, there was nothing angelic about the way she was dressed. This was definitely _not_ what Faith had in mind when she suggested that her and Buffy kick back and enjoy the night together. Her first instinct was to jump onstage and drag Buffy away, but she was fastened to where she was as she took in the beautiful, _hot_ woman…_her_ _woman_, her mind kept repeating, on the stage.

Instead, she sat back heavily in her seat as her eyes roamed over the sexy, dancing figure in front of her. Her eyes immediately took in the white petticoat skirt which fell just below Buffy's ass cheeks. It flourished with every move the slayer made, teasing her as it revealed brief glimpses of a pert ass. Faith's eyes were glued to the garments hem, not wanting to miss her reward of the sight of the blonde's ass when it was flashed and put on display. Lacy sheer white stockings traveled along smooth legs, made even longer by the five inch stiletto sandals strapped to her tiny feet. Her long blonde hair flowed down over her shoulders and her makeup was light and shimmery, giving her an angelic look. Faith was simply mesmerized.

Her anger quickly dissipated as desire quickly took over and Faith licked her lips as her eyes continued to roam over her girlfriend. They landed on small hands sliding over a chest made more supple by a form fitting, sheer, satin, corset with flowered embroidery covering the breast, leaving just a little room for imagination as it covered her nipples. Faith could only assume that the wings were sewn onto the garment seeing as there were no straps.

Buffy had now reached the second pole. She placed her back against it, and with her hands still sliding and teasing over her torso she slid along the length of the pole. Moving to her knees, Buffy whipped her head back and forth before she turned to sit and swung her legs around the pole before standing up. She grabbed the pole and slinked around it before hopping on with a leg wrapped around it and swinging around it.

The skirt and the wings attached to her back fluttered in the wind that was created as she twirled around pole. As she came to a stop, she toyed with the zipper on her skirt. Someone yelled '_take it off'_ and Faith immediately thought of jumping into the crowd to find the owner of the words and ripping their tongue out.

However, she remained seated and watched as Buffy turned in the direction where the voice had come from and blew a kiss before turning and facing her brunette girlfriend, strategically placed at the end of the stage. Never taking her gaze away from Faith, Buffy unzipped the skirt, letting it drop and pool around her feet, revealing the white G-string that was underneath.

Faith's eyes widened at the boldness of her fiancé and she shifted forward in her seat and rested her forearms on the bar. She groaned lowly in her throat as Buffy turned and gave her a perfect view of her perfect ass as she swayed and twirled her hips seductively as she moved around the pole. It took all she had not to jump on the stage and remove what little clothing Buffy had on and fuck her senseless. However, she wasn't one for exhibition in the middle of a strip club, or anywhere else for that matter.

A series of whoops and hollers were yelled and Faith finally unglued her eyes from her fiancé. She saw that the stage was now surrounded as men and women, many with fists full of bills at the ready for the skillful dancer, congregated around it to watch the sexy blonde. She glanced over at Steve to see him watching Buffy eagerly.

A bout of jealousy hit Faith as she turned her gaze back to her girlfriend and watched as she walked to the edge of the stage, turned around, and flirtatiously executed a 'dip it low' in front of a group of men. Several rushed forward as she presented her backside to them and allowed them to stuff her G-string with the bills they had. Faith's eyes narrowed as one man's hand lingered a little to long for her liking.

She moved to get out of her seat and rip the man's invasive limb from his body, but the movement of the bouncer made her slide back into her seat. She watched as the bouncer pull the guy away and give him a few choice words before shoving him back into the crowd. He definitely got lucky.

Faith eyes turned back to the slayer on stage, and she saw a sly smile cross her girlfriend's lips as their eyes met and Buffy stalked seductively to the third and final pole. Her hands grasped the pole and stroked it suggestively, making the men watching her yell their excitement. Faith only rolled her eyes at the gesture, making the blonde laugh as she threw her head back.

With the pole still in her grasp, Buffy reached higher, hopping onto the pole while wrapping both legs around it and climbing it slightly. Satisfied with her position, Buffy made a show of grinding against the pole before daintily leaning back and placing her palms against the stage. In an impressive show of balance, the blonde slowly released the grip her legs had on the pole, bringing herself to a perfect hand stand. Faith watched in awe as her legs slowly and deliberately parted to a split. The crowd erupted and Faith's eyes widened and her arousal flared at her girlfriend's show of provocative dexterity.

Pulling her legs back together and them swinging them back down to the stage, Buffy stood upright herself and stalked back to the pole and hopped on it once again, spinning herself around. She held on, one leg wrapped around the pole with the other extended.

When Buffy came to a stop, she faced the brunette, now only a few feet away from her. With her back against the pole and her sight and intentions set only on the brunette, she enticingly moved up and down against it to the beat of the music. As the song suggested, Buffy touched herself. She ran her hands over her chest and then slowly down her stomach. They then traveled to her thighs and then between them as she teased along the edges of the G-String. Faith's dark eyes watched every move her hands made, wishing they were her own.

She watched as Buffy's hand now toyed with the zipper that was on the side of the corset. Looking up into Buffy's eyes, she raised a challenging brow at the blonde as she leaned forward in anticipation.

Faith looked on with increasing anticipation as the zipper was slowly lowered and the corset, along with the wings fell to the ground. Her breath hitched in her throat and her lips parted as she fell back against her chair. Faith's eyes focused on Buffy's bare chest as the blonde's hands slid over her breasts and slender fingers teased at her nipples, causing them to grow taut and erect. Faith's mouth watered as she looked on, wanting to pull the pink pebbles into her mouth and suckle them.

Buffy moved slowly to her knees and provocatively started to crawl towards Faith. She sat there, with her arms at her side as her heart thudded in her chest.

She internally cursed herself for not wearing any panties because her pussy was soaked as she watched her blonde goddess inching towards her. She looked way to sexy and extremely fuckable; down on all fours, like she was ready to take it from behind. This caused Faith to groan at the thought of doing just that.

As Buffy got closer she extended an arm, motioning with her finger to Faith in a 'come-hither' motion. The crowd of onlookers cheered loudly as Faith wasted no time in raising herself in her chair leaning forward with her forearms against the bar. She gazed into amused green orbs as Buffy got closer.

"Surprise," Buffy whispered with a wicked grin playing on her lips, knowing Faith would still be able to hear her over the crowds whooping and random chants of 'kiss her'. Before Faith's brain had a chance to come up with a response, Buffy reached out and grabbed the collar of her jacket and pulled her forward, crushing their lips together.

Once again, the crowd erupted as the two kissed fervently. However, Faith heard none of it as her heart hammered in her chest and her desire took over her ability to think about anything other than extremely hot blonde that currently sucking her tongue. She groaned low in her throat and slid forward a little in her seat trying to keep the contact as she felt Buffy begin to pull back. She reached forward and brushed her hand along Buffy's extended arm, causing Buffy to pull back completely and out of her reach.

"Nuh uh." Buffy wagged her finger at Faith. "No touching."

Faith frowned at her girlfriend's teasing and sat back in her seat as she watched a more than pleased with herself Buffy stand and blow her a kiss. Her eyes were once again glued to Buffy's ass as she turned and blew kisses to the crowd as the song came to an end and she exited the stage.

"Whoa-ooh!" the DJ yelled. "It looks like The Chosen One has chosen, and sorry fellas, it looks like meat isn't on the menu tonight. What a show ladies and gentleman. Looks like we need to take a break after that. I know I definitely need one." With that said the bar illuminated its normal soft red glow.

Faith glanced over at Steve who was sitting with a wide grin on his face. He lifted his beer to her in a toasting gesture. Faith grabbed her own drink, lifting it to Steve before downing the rest of its contents hoping it would somehow diffuse her out of control libido. "Did you know about this?" She asked him as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Only mere minutes before you found out," Steve said as he took another swig. "But you got to admit, she's a natural."

Faith only narrowed her eyes at him before turning them back to the now empty stage. She stared at the curtain that her fiancé had left through as it swayed slightly. Giving a brief look around, Faith noted the position of the now scattered bouncers.

Without warning the brunette launched out of her seat and hopped on the stage, sprinting towards the curtain. She hurriedly pushed it aside and stepped through, looking around. Spotting a couple of girls exiting and one entering a door, she figured that's probably where the dressing room was.

She quickly moved towards the door and yanked it open, throwing herself into the room and slamming it behind her with a loud bang. She stopped dead in her tracks as all eyes turned towards her. She took in the throng of women in front of her. Some were dressed, most weren't.

"Well I'd say this is where the party's at. Hello ladies," A lazy grin, dimples fully on display, spread across Faith's face as she smoothly folded her arms and propped herself against the door. A series of 'hi's and hey there's' were heard as Faith's grin grew wider.

"Faith!" Buffy yelled as she pushed her way past a few of the girls that were eagerly eyeing the brunette. She grabbed onto Faith's arm and yanked the door open. "What're you doing?" Buffy asked, pulling her out into the hallway. "I don't think you're supposed to be back here."

"Looking for you babe. Don't worry, no one saw me." Faith grabbed onto Buffy's waist and walked her the short distance to the wall and pressed her back against it. "I know you're a good dancer and all B, but damn girl, where'd you learn to move like _that_?" She asked as she looked down and toyed with the sash on the short silky robe that Buffy was now wearing.

"Stripper 101," Buffy stated, carefully gauging Faith's reaction.

"Like a class?" Faith looked up quizzically.

Buffy nodded as she worried her bottom lip. Seeing as the brunette hadn't said anything about what she'd just done, Buffy was suddenly unsure if her decision to surprise Faith on stage was a good one.

"Erin's an instructor," Buffy started, suddenly very nervous, "and she had a class just before we came here." She saw Faith nod while listening intently. "I mean not the sort of class that evil professors that try to kill you teach, no…um, this was the 'this is fun and sexy I think I'd like to try it for my fiancé because she likes this sort of thing' type class." Buffy finally took a breath and frowned slightly, realizing how silly her reasoning sounded as she said it out loud. "So um…I...I kind of took it." Buffy finally finished.

"So you _kind of_ took a class on how to strip?" Faith mused to herself more than asked. Buffy nodded again. "Why?"

"Because you're only supposed to be ogling me," Buffy replied with a pout.

"Ah," Faith said with a throaty chuckle. "You do realize that it wasn't just me, right?"

"I do. And I swear it seemed like a good idea at the time." Buffy's pout deepened as she sagged against the wall and looked up at Faith through her lashes.

"It's okay baby." Faith leaned in and placed a reassuring kiss on the irresistible pouty lips. Her hands which were still fiddling with the sash on the robe made an attempt to untie it. Buffy quickly halted the action by placing her hands over Faith's when she heard the telltale signs of heels clicking against the floor and a few girls passed them and entered the dressing room. Instead, Buffy allowed Faith's hands roam along her backside and down over her bare thighs.

"So…so does this mean you're not mad?" Buffy asked hopefully as she grabbed onto Faith's forearms and rubbed them slightly.

"Hell no," Faith chuckled again. "I mean I think I was at first but that was wicked hot B." Faith leaned more into Buffy, bringing her head down to nuzzle against the blonde's neck.

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief and internally thanked the PTB that Faith was actually pleased about her little surprise act. As Faith nuzzled more into her, Buffy tilted her head and giving Faith more access.

Buffy moaned as the brunette's mouth started to explore, leaving trailing kisses from her jaw and traveling down to suck on her pulse point. She moved her hands down and slid them under Faith's jacket and rubbed them up and down her sides. They then traveled around to Faith's back trying to pull her closer.

Faith pulled back slightly, one hand raised, her palm flattened against the wall behind Buffy while a lone finger snaked its way along the opening at the neck of Buffy's robe and brushed against Buffy's neck and down between her breasts. "You do have to make it up to me though." Faith's husky voice was low and suggestive.

Buffy's eyes closed involuntarily. She could feel goose bumps starting to form all over her body and her nipples instantly started to strain against the silky fabric. Faith moaned her approval as her dark eyes took in her girlfriend's heightening state of arousal.

"Tell me how." Buffy's eyes fluttered opened to look into dark mischievous ones. Her voice was barely a whisper and her expression was full of doubt. She brought a hand up and placed it on Faith's cheek while the other pulled at the hem of her jacket.

"I'd say we could start with a private dance…you know, for my eyes only," Faith answered teasingly with a wink.

"A private dance? I think I can manage that." Buffy said as she ran her hands along Faith's sides.

"Good because we're definitely gonna need to be alone for this. When I was watching you tonight, the only thing I could think about was jumping on stage and having my wicked way with you. " Faith's hand snaked its way between them and made its way under the silky fabric to massage one of Buffy's breasts. Buffy gasped at the action and brought a hand up from underneath Faith's jacket to tangle in her hair. "In fact we could just head back to the hotel and you can let me do just that."

"What's that?" Buffy asked as she pulled back slightly with a puzzled expression.

"Have my way with you," Faith answered as she tried to pull the blonde back against her. She frowned when Buffy put a hand against her chest and pulled back and pulled her jacket back.

"No. I mean what's that…in your pocket." Buffy quickly slid her hand inside Faith's inner jacket pocket and grasped onto the object that she'd felt brushing against her arm as she moved it against the inside of Faith's jacket. Faith had been too wrapped up with what she was doing to notice that Buffy's arm had been brushing against the hidden item in her inside jacket pocket. It wasn't until Buffy pulled the black velvet box into view that Faith realized what Buffy had meant.

"No…B, wait," Faith protested as she tried to snatch the box out of Buffy's hand. However, Buffy was faster and quickly spun around, effectively moving the object out of Faith's reach. "C'mon B, you weren't supposed to see that just yet." There was a slight whine to Faith's tone.

Buffy wasn't listening though as she wasted no time in opening the lid on the box. With a gasp, she turned quickly to face Faith with wide eyes. She placed a hand over her mouth as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Surprise." Faith said, mimicking Buffy's words from earlier. "I was going to give it to you later," Faith started as she looked into glossy green eyes, "but seeing as you went all klepto girl on me…" she left the statement hanging with a teasing grin as she took the box from Buffy's hands. She pulled the ring out of its confinement and placed the box back in her jacket pocket.

Reaching out and taking Buffy's left hand in hers, she stroked her thumb across the back of Buffy's ring finger and then placed a gentle kiss on it. "You're gonna make me the happiest woman in the world tomorrow," Faith spoke softly as she stared into beautiful green eyes, which were now shedding tears. "I love you Buffy, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She smiled her patented dimple smile as she slid the ring on Buffy's finger. It was a perfect fit.

"Oh my god!" Buffy immediately threw her arms around Faith neck. "I love you too, Faith...so much." Buffy mumbled into her neck. Faith wrapped her arms around Buffy's waist lifting her slightly and placed a kiss on the side of her head.

It wasn't until they heard the heavy footsteps of someone approaching that they pulled away from each other. Faith chuckled as she watched two burly bouncers padding down the hallway towards them.

"Hey…hey you!" One of them yelled. Faith looked at Buffy then pointed a finger at herself in a 'who me' gesture.

"Yeah, you…you can't be back here."

"It's okay, she's my fiancé," Buffy reasoned.

"Yeah well unless she's about to go out there and shake her ass, I don't care. She's not supposed to be back here," The bouncer refuted.

"Oh give them a minute." One of the girls who had wandered up and witnessed the scene between the two slayers spoke up.

Unaware that they'd attracted an audience, Faith lowered Buffy back to the floor and they both looked around with shy smiles. Another of the girls that had been there walked up to Buffy and grabbed her hand to admire her ring. She gasped when she saw the sparkling diamond. "Well if that isn't the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…"

Faith smiled brillianltly. "You obviously aren't looking at it from my point of view." Her eyes were glued to Buffy as she spoke.

Buffy smiled brilliantly at Faith, pulled her hand away from the stranger, placed her hands on either side of the brunette's face and kissed her softly. A series of 'awww's' filtered through the hallway at the display, before the girls wandered off.

The two slayers now stood alone by the doorway with the rude bouncers lurking a few feet away. Buffy extended her left hand and admired the ring. "Let's do it, Faith. Right now. Let's just do it," Buffy excitedly stated as she turned to the brunette.

Faith eyebrows rose in surprise, had she known all it would take was a ring she would've gotten Buffy one years ago. She looked in the direction of the bouncers who were standing with their arms crossed laughing about something, and then she looked down at the floor as if she was trying to work something out in her head. "I don't know B, I could probably get rid of Dumb and Dumber over there but this floor is kinda…,"

Buffy laughed as she grabbed onto Faith's forearms. "Not _that _silly. I mean we'll definitely get to that part, but let's get married. Tonight."

"Yeah?" Faith grinned widely.

Buffy nodded enthusiastically. "It's still early, we can go get the license and we can find one of those cute little all-night chapels."

"Sounds five-by-five to me B, but are you sure you want to get married in one of those fly by night cheesy places? What about the plans we made?"

"They aren't cheesy…they're flamboyantly romantic. And I'm they haven't set anything up yet, I'm sure we can still cancel."

Faith chuckled. "Whatever you say babe, as long as you're happy."

Throwing her arms around Faith, Buffy squealed in excitement. "Okay, I'll go get change and you go find Will and Ken."

Faith nodded and planted another kiss on Buffy's lips before she turned to walk away. "Oh and B?" She spun on her heels to face Buffy. Buffy looked at her expectantly. "Grab that hot little number you were wearing tonight. Gonna have a blast taking that off ya myself," Faith said with a wink before turning back around and leaving a smitten Buffy.

"Hey Casanova, took you long enough," one of the bouncers said as Faith neared.

"Back off Stone Cold, I bench press fools like you for warm up."

Buffy could only smile dreamily as she watched the woman she was about to marry walk away. She held out her left hand again to look at the ring she was wearing. She turned her hand slightly and watched as it sparkled in the light. Buffy's smile was just as bright at the thought that she was going to be Mrs. Lehane in a few short hours sunk in. She turned to head back into the dressing room with only one thing on her mind.

What the hell was she going to wear!


	10. Chapter 9

**AN: Sorry for the long delay and boy has it been long. No excuses really except I'm lazy and work sucks and tends to drain the life out of ya so much that all you want to do when you get home is kick back and have a few. Luckily my attention deficit mind felt the need to work on future chapters for this so hopefully the wait time between the next few chapters will be short. I also have to say I've watching far to much Glee and it will probably show in this chapter...and no, no one bursts into song, although it'd be funny, a horror to write but funny nonetheless. At any rate, without further delay...PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! **

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**Chapter 9**

"Here B try this, it's wicked good." Faith held up her fork with the fruit filled pastry on the end of it in front of Buffy.

"No thanks honey, I'm full," Buffy said and smiled half-heartedly as she sat back in her chair and rubbed Faith's back as she ate.

Buffy knew that no matter what time it was, Faith thought that each meal should end with dessert. She waited patiently, as she had a million times before while Faith was on her final dish for the morning, or at least Buffy thought she was. Luckily, the restaurant served a breakfast buffet on the weekends, so she watched the bottomless pit dig dig into the dessert with as much gusto as she had with the three previous full plates of food she'd polished off.

"You still worried about Will and Ken?" Faith asked around a mouth full of her dessert.

"I can't help it," Buffy sighed, "we've been to their room and called them like a million times already, and Larry doesn't remember seeing them come in."

"Well I'm sure he doesn't stand guard at the desk all night, he probably has other shit he needs to get done." Faith tried to reason. When she didn't get a response she took her attention away from the plate in front of her. Swiping her hand across her mouth, she scooted closer to Buffy and threw an arm across the back of her chair.

"Relax babe." Buffy leaned into her and laid her head on her chest. "They're probably just holed up in the room and not answering the door. I'm sure Red has a wicked hangover right now. Plus a slayer and a witch should be the least of your worries, you know they're gonna take care of each other. I'm sure they'll turn up soon," Faith said as she smoothed a hand over Buffy's head, trying her best to put to rest any worries about their friends.

"I guess you're right." Buffy sighed again and laid a hand on Faith's stomach. "Doesn't mean I still can't worry," she finished with a pout.

Faith ducked her head to capture the adorable expression in a brief kiss. "How about you concern yourself with taking care of your own slayer? You do realize we're supposed to be honeymooning right now and up in our room with me rocking your world."

Buffy only chuckled as she lifted her hand, bringing it to the back of Faith's neck to pull the brunette's lips back to her own. This kiss lasted longer as Buffy ran her tongue along Faith's lips and wasted no time in sliding it between the warm confines of Faith's full lips, who in return, received it eagerly.

After a few moments, much to Faith's displeasure, Buffy pulled away from the kiss. "Mmm...you're right," Buffy said as she licked her lips, watching as Faith's gaze never left them. "That is good," she told her with a grin. "But we seem to be gathering an audience." Buffy gestured to the people that sparsely littered the restaurant. A few openly stared while others attempted to be inconspicuous with their eyes darting around the room and landing on the couple occasionally.

"We should probably get going. Are you done?" Buffy asked while she rubbed the nape of Faith's neck.

"I really wasn't," Faith replied matter-of-factly as she moved back in to reclaim Buffy's lips, not caring if they were being watched.

Buffy diverted the advance and pulled back completely from the brunette's embrace. She couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips when Faith started to pout. "I meant are you done eating?"

Faith's pout quickly transformed into a sexy smirk as she licked her lips. "Haven't even started yet B."

Buffy only rolled her eyes and poked Faith in the side. "C'mon, be serious. Are you done or not? We need to call Giles back, maybe he's heard from Willow and Kennedy. Plus, are you forgetting that since last night was a no-go, we still have plans of getting married later today?"

It was now Faith's turn to roll her eyes. "No dear," she said in a mocking tone, "I haven't forgotten. How in the hell could I? I'm still wound so fucking tight I think I might spontaneously combust at any second."

After deciding that they would find a nice, quaint fly by night chapel to have the ceremony in, Faith and Buffy made off to Bureau to obtain a marriage license. Arriving there just before midnight, with the proper I.D. and $60, the couple was able to acquire the license within minutes.

Before leaving the club, they had checked in on their friends and agreed that they wouldn't intrude on their fun just yet and decided it best to swing back through after they had gotten the license and found a place for them to be joined in matrimony.

This proved to be a bad decision, seeing as when they'd gotten back, Willow and Kennedy were nowhere to be found. This meant no ceremony was to take place that night. Faith tried to convince Buffy to go ahead with their plans for the night, seeing as it would get her what she wanted most, a forever with the woman of her dreams with the much anticipated benefits of bedding her.

Buffy however, wouldn't budge. She was adamant that she didn't want strangers being witness to one of the most important events in her life. She was marrying the love of her life and she wanted people who she considered family there to share in her happiness.

Upon hearing that the pair had left with Steve and Erin, they figured that their friends had decided to call it an early night, catching an available ride back to the hotel. After much debate, and finally coming to a decision, which meant Faith relenting and accepting that she was not going to win the battle and definitely wouldn't be getting any that night, the Chosen Two decided to finish the rest of their night out at the club.

To appease the pouting, sexually deprived slayer, Buffy allowed her to have the night she wanted. This included large quantities of alcohol, a generous amount of ogling of the stage dancers and a few lap dances. One provided by the blonde slayer herself, which only served to fuel the inebriated brunette even more and resulted in a heavy make out session, with hands in inappropriate places. Finally deciding to call it a night, Buffy all but carried the drunken dark-haired girl back to their limo and they made their way back to their room.

"You'll live. Now hurry up so we can find our friends. There's still so much stuff we need to do."

"Stuff like what?" Faith frowned. "I thought everything was taking care of."

"Well most of it is, but there's still so much we need to do like pick out a song to have our first dance."

"What kind of song, B?"

"Well, it should be something that expresses how we feel, either about each other or about us in general."

"Hmmm...," Faith said thoughtfully as she sat back in her chair and tried to filter through the songs that she liked and that would actually express how she felt about the blonde.

"Oh don't think too hard on it sweetheart, I already have the perfect song in mind."

"No, no...I got this B. I wanna help you with the decision making, just give me a minute here." Buffy regarded her and smiled at the adorable look the brunette had on her face, her brows were furrowed and her lips were pursed. She'd seen it plenty of times and knew it was her thinking face. She then watched as her eyes lit up and wide grin spread across Faith's face.

"I got it!" Faith said enthusiastically, as she turned to Buffy.

"Okay," Buffy said and waited for Faith to continue.

"The Thong Song," Faith revealed with an excited, expectant look on her face.

Buffy regarded Faith for a long moment before bursting into a fit of laughter.

Faith frowned at being laughed at. "What's so funny, B?"

"Oh," Buffy started, trying to get her laughter under control, "for a second there you had me." Buffy continued between laughing. "I almost thought you were serious." Buffy's laughter began to die down as she took in the frown still on Faith's face and she turned serious. "Oh god, you're serious aren't you?"

"Of course I'm serious, B. It's a good song!" the brunette exclaimed.

"No Faith, it really isn't. In fact, in the history of songs I'd say it ranks right up there on the list of badness and we're not having that as our first song. This is our wedding Faith; the song should be slow and full of sentiment."

"C'mon babe, you said it should say how I feel, right?"

"I did. And that's the best you could come up with?" Buffy asked disbelievingly.

"Well, I'm thinking honeymoon ya know, it's the most important part of a wedding. Plus who says it has to be a slow song, we should be able to get our groove on, not bore everyone to sleep." Faith tried to persuade the blonde.

"I say it should be a slow song and if you must know The Wind Beneath My Wings is a very powerful and moving love ballad, it's not boring it makes a beautiful statement about our relationship."

"The winds doing what now?"

With a slight shake of her head, Buffy rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's lack of knowledge of a millennium classic. "Nothing honey, just forget about. In fact, let me just tell you that anything with unmentionables in the title should remain unmentioned, and the honeymoon is not part of the wedding Faith, it's...it's afterwards and...and should be after."

Faith seemed to think about this before a smirk broke out on her face. "Okay, so you're only saying no to the song for the wedding, and that it can be used for the honeymoon? Maybe during another lap dance?" Faith stated more than asked with a wiggle of her brows.

Buffy couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips at her fiancé. "We'll see. Now will you hurry up, there's also shopping to be done."

"Shopping!" Faith cried indignantly. "With you B? No way, you don't need me for that. Once I find Ken we're hitting the tables for a few hours."

Buffy scoffed, "Well I need to find something to wear for later, and so do you. So yes, you're needed."

"Nope. I'm good on what to wear," Faith replied as she turned her attention back to her unfinished dessert. "And you mean to tell me with all that shit you packed you don't have a dress to wear?"

At Faith's statement, Buffy looked as if she'd been slapped in the face. "Are you kidding me? You really expect me to wear something I've worn before for my wedding?"

"B, I'd marry you in those ugly sushi pajamas you have. But okay, fine...you need to shop, whatever. You still don't need me for that. Plus, isn't there a rule or something that says I'm not supposed to know what you're wearing?" Faith glanced over at Buffy as she asked the question.

"Well no, the tradition is that it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. That doesn't mean you can't go with me to pick out something," Buffy tried explaining.

"Well in that case, we're screwed 'cause I've been looking at that beautiful mug of yours all morning B. I checked out your ass every time you got up to get more food too," Faith said with a grin. "I'm sure that's bound to cause some problems later on."

"That doesn't count, and it doesn't mean that we can't see each other at all within the day. Just not immediately before the wedding, like milliseconds or something."

"So the ass watching is okay then?" Faith smirked but Buffy only rolled her eyes once again. "C'mon B, it's a nice ass!"

"Oh, whatever off topic girl. Now tell me, just what did you mean when you said 'you're good' on what to wear? I've seen your wardrobe and nothing in there screams 'let's go get married.'"

"Well if you're not expected to wear something you already own for this what makes you think I do as well?" Faith raised her brow questioningly.

Buffy seemed to think this over for a few seconds. She had to admit she hadn't really thought past Faith trying to get away with wearing tight leather pants, an untucked white dress shirt with her favorite leather jacket, that she looks so good in, accompanied with her black biker boots. Although it was a hot as hell image...her bad ass, leather wearing dark slayer standing by her side, it just wasn't an image she preferred on her wedding day. Other than on the menu, Buffy would rather the herd of cows it would take to dress the brunette, not make an appearance.

"I need to make sure we'll be coordinated Faith, so is it too much to ask for you to just tell me what you're wearing already!" Buffy sighed heavily as she pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. Her patience was wearing thin. This day was supposed to be perfect. And already her friends were missing, her fiancé was being uncooperative, she still had quite a few things she needed to get done in such a small amount of time and she had chipped nail, courtesy of her girlfriend nearly tripping over her own feet as she was dragged back to the hotel last night.

Faith shook her head at Buffy's outburst and how quickly the mood was changing between them. She looked up and saw that a few of the restaurants patrons were starting to throw a few glares their way. "Look B, will you chill? You're causing a scene."

"A scene? Oh so it's okay if they watch us go at it like a bunch of porn stars but when you're wrong I'm causing a scene?"

"What?" Faith dropped her fork noisily and turned in her seat to look at Buffy. "What am I wrong about? I haven't done anything? And you didn't mind the porn star attention when you decided to go all striptease girl at the titty club last night now did ya?" Faith stated more than asked as she narrowed her eyes and donned a challenging smirk.

Buffy gasped at the statement and held a hand to her chest. "I did that for you, you brute. But you can rest assured it won't be happening again. Ever!"

That dropped Faith smugness down a few notches as she mulled over the threat. "I know you did B, and hey...no complainants here babe," she held up her hands in a surrendering gesture, "so let's not get ahead of ourselves. All I'm saying is I don't need to go shopping with ya. I already have something to wear," Faith replied trying not to sound irritated. "And no it's not leather!" she added at the look Buffy gave her.

"Well what is it then?" Buffy asked again, this time stomping a foot under the table and folding her arms across her chest.

Faith stood abruptly, causing her chair to roughly scrape against the floor. "You'll see soon enough. Look, let's just go find our friends so I can give them shit for taking off last night and making me suffer through this day."

Buffy's chair also scraped loudly across the floor she stood. "Nice Faith. It's really good to know what you think about our wedding day." She turned around sharply, her blonde ponytail whipping around her shoulders and stormed off.

"This is just fucking great," Faith mumbled as she pulled on the chain, yanking her wallet from her back pocket and watch her pissed off fiancé walk away. "She gets pissed and I get stuck with the bill."

* * *

Kennedy stretched and sighed as she felt her rested limbs popping to life. A lazily smile crossed her face when she heard the soft snores of the slumbering body next to her. Shifting slightly under the warm sheets, she softly swept a hand over the prone figure of her still slumbering girlfriend.

Her smile soon morphed into yawn and then a frown as she swallowed several times trying to provide much needed relief to her dry mouth. Finding no reprieve, she rolled over onto her back and roughly ran a hand over her face as she slid to a sitting position. It was mornings like this that she mentally thanked the Powers that Be that she was a slayer. Their fast metabolisms and accelerated healing ensured she could drink a third of her body's water percentage in alcohol and escape the full effect of a hangover.

Yawning again and pulling her arms over her head for another stretch, her eyes drifted opened. She blinked several times, trying to get rid of the last remnants of sleep she felt. "Hey baby," she greeted groggily as her eyes met the green ones of the red-headed witch who was sitting crossed legged in a chair at the foot of the bed with her hands folded in her lap.

Willow gave a small wave as her eyes drifted briefly to the prone figure next to Kennedy, then back up to the incognizant brunette.

Kennedy tilted her head as her mind began to work out that something just wasn't right. "You're sitting over there," Kennedy stated, thoroughly confused.

Willow nodded. "Yep. Sitting right here. Definitely not there with you making with the naked cuddles." She pointed to the figure next to Kennedy.

Kennedy's frown reappeared as she turned her head in the direction that her girlfriend was pointing. Seeing the lump of a sleeping figure she'd already confirmed was there minutes ago, her head quickly turned back to the red head.

"Hey." Willow waved again. "Still here. With the chair and the sitting." She pointed to herself, signaling that she was indeed still there. Sitting.

Kennedy looked back at the sleeping figure and slowly lifted the sheet. Her eyes bulged as she stared down at the naked figure of woman lying next to her. "Holy shit." She said in a harsh whisper as she immediately dropped the sheet while quickly and roughly pushing herself back on the bed, trying to get as far away from the woman as possible.

"Shit, shit, shit...," Kennedy chanted before she'd reached as far as she could go and hit the floor with a soft thud. The figure in the bed groaned softly and shifted slightly. "Shit...," Kennedy hastily peered over the edge of the bed to watch the woman shift again, but luckily not waking. "Is that...," Kennedy started to inquire about her bedmate, but was cut off.

"It is...," Willow said quietly as she nodded.

"Shit." Her eyes then shifted to look pleadingly into her girlfriends eyes. "Shit Will, this isn't what it looks like..." she started but soon snapped her mouth shut and she looked down and took in her own state of undress, causing her eyes to bulge once again. "Shit," she looked back to Willow, "okay maybe it is. But I swear I can explain!" Kennedy's arm flailed, motioning to the sleeping figure and then back to herself as her mouth opened and shut a few times as she struggled to find something to say.

Unfortunately, slayer healing and metabolism did nothing for the immediate effects of heavy drinking and couldn't keep her from blacking out and forgetting. "Shit! Okay so I can't." She dropped her arms in her lap and sighed heavily. "Fuck, I'm sorry Willow. I don't know how this happened. I don't even know where the hell I am," she said in defeat and a guilty looked crossed her face before she dropped her head in her hands.

Willow sighed with a rueful smile, giving Kennedy an equally guilty look. "Too bad. I was hoping at least one of us would remember how we ended up in bed with these two in the full monty."

"We?" Kennedy's head shot up and her eyes widened.

Willow nodded solemnly as rested her elbows on her thighs and placed her hands under her chin. "Yes. We, as in me, on the other side getting all snuggly and cozy with the nice rack."

"Damn," Kennedy said as she shook her head. "I knew you seemed too calm, which I'm grateful for seeing as I thought surely I'd be leaving Vegas in an aquarium and on my way to an amphibian farm."

"Well my freaking out started way before yours did, so I've had time to center my inner freak while you were sleeping." Willows eyes widened slightly at the look she was receiving from Kennedy as realization of what she'd just said hit her. "Oh! Not that type of inner freak. Although, I can see how it would've been a factor considering the oddity of the situation." Willow frowned slightly as she took in said situation again. "But no I meant the one that has had time to time to process this since every other naked figure in the room has been sawing logs for the past hour. Plus, I think I drank too much last night and loud yelling and dramatics are not of the good right now. So no sweetie, you're safe and will remain frog free for this one."

Kennedy smiled gratefully as she nodded before she gazed back at the sleeping figure in the bed. "How in the hell did this happen? I don't even remember leaving the club last night. I mean where is what's his name?"

Willow pointed sharply down at the floor on the other side of the bed. Kennedy looked curiously at her girlfriend and moved slowly down to the edge of the bed and peered from behind it. She was met with the sight of a pair of bare, hairy and obviously men legs lying on the floor, his body was hidden from her view.

"Damn, don't tell me he's naked too." Kennedy looked back to Willow.

"Okay I won't tell you," Willow said with a small grin. "But I will say we probably should get out of here before they wake up. And after the night I think we've had, I could really use a drink."

Kennedy crawled around and picked up her scattered items of clothing and hastily threw them on. "A drink? What the hell Will, it's like," Kennedy glanced around for a clock, "it's like eight in the morning! And I thought you said you didn't feel well," she said in a harsh whisper, careful not to wake up the slumbering couple.

"Hey now, I don't have the advantage of having slayer healing here. Some of us do have to suffer the effects and right now I don't feel well...my head is all achy and woozy and my stomach is making with the not so good grumbles and the nausea is making me feel all pukey like. So, I need something to counteract and you know what they say, hair of the dog right?" Willow said with a shaky smile.

As Kennedy stood upright she peered at her girlfriend before she gave her rumpled clothing a once over, noting that there wasn't much more she could do with her appearance, she spared another wondering glance at the red head. It wasn't until she heard mumbling coming from the naked lump sprawled out on the bed that she grabbed onto Willow's elbow, urging her to get out of the chair she was still seated in, and hurriedly ushered her out of the room.

Once they were out in the hallway Kennedy heaved a sigh of relief, before turning her attention to the redhead. "Damn. That was close."

"It was. But we were good with the stealth," Willow said as she wrapped an arm around Kennedy's waist and laid her head on her shoulder with a groan. Kennedy wrapped an arm around Willow's shoulder, placing a kiss on her head.

"Babe?"

"Hmm?"

"You do realize what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

"Even when you can't remember?" Willow asked as she raised her head, and then groaned again from having picked her head up to rapidly and quickly dropped it back to Kennedy's shoulder.

"Especially when you can't remember." Kennedy explained.

"Gotcha." Willow gave a curt nod against Kennedy's shoulder.

"Man I didn't think this weekend could get any weirder, but boy was I wrong," Kennedy said as she slowly moved them forward in the direction of the elevator.

"What's been so weird about our weekend, current situation excluded of course," Willow mumbled against Kennedy's shoulder.

"Well, there's the fact that you've been drinking like a fish since we got here," Kennedy started.

"Hey." Willow jerked her head up. "Ow ow, head...pain, definitely not of good," she complained.

"See what I mean. You can barely finish your wine coolers back home."

"I know, but we're in Vegas. We're supposed to be having fun; it's what was agreed, right?" Willow reasoned and she laid her head on Kennedy's shoulder as they walked.

"Yeah I know, but honey you rarely drink and getting hammered to a point of not remembering isn't something you do. That's more mines and Faith's department. And speaking of Faith, I conclude that this is all her fault. I'm sure it was her that had all those drinks sent last night," Kennedy stated as she racked her brain and vaguely remembered knocking back her far share of shots she knew she didn't order. "This brings me to another point. Don't you think a few things have been off about this whole trip since we've gotten here?"

"Off? Like how?" Willow frowned.

"Well granted that it was probably alcohol induced, we're waking up apparently having been involved in a foursome." Kennedy shuddered, "God I certainly hope I wasn't on the receiving end, or any end of that dude. That would be all kinds of wrong and certainly goes against any of my lesbian given rights."

"We have rights?" Willow questioned, the amusement clear in her voice as she raised her head slowly and stopped walking causing Kennedy to stop as well.

"Oh course! Thou shall not have straight sex, thou..."

"Oh wait, I think that first one makes my membership null and void," Willow assessed.

"Believe me when I say you've put in enough hours for that to be overlooked and to be a full-fledged member," Kennedy assured with a devious grin that caused Willow to blush and lay her head back down.

"Okay back to the weird."

With a slight squeeze of Willow's shoulders, Kennedy started back walking and continued on. "Well, then there's Buffy and Faith getting married..."

"Wait. What?" Willow raised her head and immediately slammed her eyes shut and stopped walking again, apparently the swimming in her head didn't agree with the sudden movement. "Okay missy, no more head raising news from you."

"Sorry honey," Kennedy slid an arm around her waist to steady her. "But yeah. That's what I've been trying to get you to see this whole time, apparently they've joined the ranks of coupledom and now they want to get married while we're here."

"What makes you think they want to get married? I mean it could've been a joke or something. You know how Faith is big on funny."

"If it was a joke, that rock she bought Buffy was a pretty damn expensive looking prop."

"Wow. I...I guess that is kind of weird, but...but Buffy definitely would've told me if she and Faith were together in the horizontal kind of way. At least I hope she would've." A small frown crossed Willow's face. "It...it's like basic best friend firsthand knowledge and surely something on the grand scale side of huge like that would've prompted a classic Buffy freak out beforehand and then a sleepover with some girly best friend and ice cream time with chick flicks would've been in order for her to do the whole processing thing. Ooh, maybe even some lesbian themed ones. But I...I just can't..."

"We live in the same house, every night is pretty much like a sleepover," Kennedy teased, interrupting the babble-fest.

"Well yes, but we would've made you and Faith leave so we could've had a proper one without 'the guys' around so we could talk about the two of you," Willow countered with a small grin.

Kennedy playfully rolled her eyes at being branded one of 'the guys' but she knew it was true and couldn't complain. "Well, let's just let's just find them and get this straightened out. Surely there's an explanation for all this, right?"

"Right. But um...I think we should probably shower and change first."

"That's why you're the brains in the relationship," Kennedy mused aloud as they neared the elevator.

"Yeah, one that's currently the consistency of mush right now."

"Don't worry, we'll get you something to help with that." Kennedy kissed the side of the witch's head.

"Ooh," the redhead perked up a bit, "how about something fruity and frosty with a hint of vodka!"

Kennedy could only roll her eyes and shake her head. "No, I was thinking more along the lines of nourishment of the solid, eating variety. I like to call it breakfast when it's before noon and brunch afterwards."

Willow pulled a face at the mention of eating food right now. It made her stomach churn and her mouth water as she felt the need to puke. "I don't think I can eat anything right now," she reasoned.

"It'll make you feel better. I promise, plus I'm starving," Kennedy said, her stomach finding the appropriate time to growl.

"Well we better go feed the beast then." Willow smiled as she poked Kennedy lightly in the stomach and they headed for the elevator once again.

"Honey, can I ask you something?" Kennedy broke the companionable silence and had a worried look on her face as they continued their slow walk. This was something that had been bothering her since the earlier part of the previous day.

Willow stopped again as she took in the disconcerted look. "Baby I promise I won't tell anyone about our night of that which we don't remember and are not supposed to mention again.

"No that's not it," Kennedy chuckled lightly.

"Well what is it?"

"Well you're Buffy's best friend, so that means you should know her better than anyone, right?"

"Buffy and I have been friends a long time sweetie, I like to think I know her pretty well," Willow answered and wondered where the line of questioning was going.

"I was wondering," Kennedy said nervously, "do you think she likes purple?" At Willow's questioning look, Kennedy continued. "Well I know she has a shitload of pink in her wardrobe, it's actually quite disturbing and really annoying especially when we're on patrol, you can see her coming from a mile away, but she insist on not wearing any type of tactical gear. She says she's not a fan of green, black and brown...apparently they don't go well with her complexion. That whole queen of slayers attitude just makes me want to smack the living..."

Kennedy cleared her throat and unclenched her first at the look the redhead was giving her. "Uh right. So I was wondering if you thought she liked purple...royal purple to be exact, equally as much as pink."

"I suppose," Willow supplied, a little thrown off at the oddity of the question. She was about to expand on her best friend's obsession with pastel but was cut off by the ding of the elevator and the bickering slayers as they exited.

"Look B, all I'm saying is that I don't really think you're qualified to wear white babe. You lost that privilege a long time ago when you started boinking the walking dead. Off-white would probably be a better choice." Faith scrambled out of the elevator in an effort to keep up with the fuming girl.

Buffy stopped abruptly and turned around causing Faith to stumble slightly in attempt to not mow down the tiny blonde. "And all I'm saying is you should stop now Faith. You've already said way too much and if you don't want to spend our honeymoon on the couch you'll shut the hell up. Now," Buffy said in a menacing tone as she shoved Faith in the shoulder.

"Have you seen that couch in our room, B? Fucker looks kinda comfy," Faith said with a shrug.

"You're unbelievable!" Buffy said in a huff as she spun on her heels and readied herself to head to their room, but she was grabbed from behind and halted in her efforts.

Faith wrapped her arms around Buffy's, one held her around her waist while the other was wrapped around her torso as she pressed her front against the pissed off blonde's back. She planted a kiss on the back of her head before ducking her own to speak directly into Buffy's ear. "You know the only way I'm sleeping on the couch is if you're right there with me."

Buffy shivered at the husky tone and the warm breath that washed over her when Faith spoke. Even though she was supposed to be angry, it made her want to drag Faith back to their room and have her naughty way with her, married or not. Instead, Buffy folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes and made an attempt to pull out of Faith's embrace, but the brunette held her firmly. "Tell me, why am I marrying you? You obviously don't care so why should I?"

"Because you love me," Faith stated in that tone that made Buffy shiver slightly again.

Buffy only shook her head. "Nope. That reason is the only one that has kept me from kicking your ass because you're obviously not taking me serious here."

"And because you know that I love you." Faith kissed the shell of Buffy's ear, eliciting another shiver from her.

"C'mon B, why are we fighting?"

"Because you're an asshole," Buffy simply stated.

Faith sighed heavily and decided that if it would stop them from arguing, she'd once again take the blame. After all, she knew some of her comments tended to grate on the blonde slayers last nerve. "I know baby, and I'm sorry."

Buffy turned her head slightly to try to look at Faith and gauge her reaction. She knew that the sneaky brunette could be convincing when she wanted to be, but it was her eyes that were always so truthful.

Not being able to see the brunette's face completely, Buffy once again tried to pull away from Faith but this time she was met with little resistance. Turning in the dark-haired slayers embrace, Buffy eyed the girl carefully trying to see whether or not she was being sincere. "Do you even know what you're sorry for? Or are you just saying that to shut me up?"

"Well a little of both," Faith smirked, but cleared her throat, wiped the expression off her face and continued on at the eye roll she received. "I don't want to fight with you B, so yeah it was partly to get us to stop with the arguing. But I also know that you just want this day to be special and you think that I don't really give a shit, but believe me when I say that I do."

"So you want to go through with this?" Buffy questioned as she gently wrapped her hands around the brunette's biceps.

"Of course I do! I mean I'm kinda pissed that we didn't get to last night, I know I would've been in a wicked cum coma by now..."

"Faith...," Buffy warned.

"..._but_ today works out fine too since we get to actually go through with the plans we made. And I promise I'll do whatever you need to make this day as perfect for you as possible. I just want to make you happy baby."

"Really?" Recognizing the sincerity in Faith's tone and statement, Buffy's face lit up.

"Yes really." Faith wrapped her arms tighter around Buffy's waist, pulling her closer. "You know I'd do anything for you girl," Faith said as she lowered her head to place a quick kiss on Buffy's lips but stopped short before reaching them and pulled back slightly. "Except wear a dress, won't be doing that. I do have to draw a line somewhere."

"Fine." Buffy gave a satisfied smile while sliding her arms around the brunette's neck while standing on the tips of her toes to close the remaining distance and give Faith a lingering kiss on the lips before pulling her into a hug.

"As long as it's not leather."

Faith chuckled as she nuzzled her face into the crook of Buffy's neck. "It's not, I promise. Now let's see about finding Ken and Red."

"Oh...consider them found!" Buffy exclaimed as she peered over Faith's shoulder.

Ken and Willow stood in the middle of the hallway with their eyes fixed on the reconciling slayers.

"Wow, they have gotten all kinds of coupley," Willow said as she stared at the two with a gaping mouth.

"See I told you," Kennedy nudged her, "they should have their own series on Bravo."

"Hey Buff...Faith!" Willow waved slightly as the pair approached.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Faith questioned hotly, preferring to bypass the pleasantries. "We went back to the club to look for you and you were gone. Where'd you run off too?"

"We um...well, you know we've been around," Kennedy supplied lamely with Willow nodding in accord.

"Around? We've spent the better part of the morning looking around for you guys. We've been to your room and probably called you guys a million times," Buffy replied, her voice bordering on annoyance now that she knew they were okay. There was tons more she needed to get done before the wedding and she was anxious to get started with the final preparations. Plus, she still needed to find a dress and she knew that would take up most of her time.

"Well we decided to sleep in. You know Will doesn't hold her alcohol all that well so I'm sure she was too out of it to hear anything," Kennedy explained.

"Oh...yeah" Willow chimed in animatedly, "and you know Kenny sleeps like the dead. A bomb could've gone off in the room and she wouldn't have noticed."

"See I told you they were probably just sleeping in, B." Faith looked to the blonde and pulled her against her to wrap an arm around her waist and then looked back to the others. "After you guys didn't answer, we went to see if Steve and Erin maybe knew where you guys could be and when they didn't answer either Buffy got worried."

"Why would you go there looking for us?" Willow asked more frenzied than necessary.

"Yeah really, those are your friends not ours. We wouldn't be with them," Kennedy added in a similar tone.

Buffy and Faith exchanged confused glances at their friends' edginess. "Well you certainly didn't seem to mind hanging with them last night," Faith supplied as she looked back and forth between the two.

"What!" The witch and younger slayer yelled in unison and exchanged horrified glances at each other.

"Yeah, last night at the club. The two of you didn't seem to mind the show Erin was putting on." Faith waggled her brows for effect. "In fact you looked pretty damn happy about it and were having a damned good time."

The couple seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at this. Seemingly, Faith only knew about was the private dance that Erin had provided for them and was making references to only that moment.

"Heh...a good time, yeah that's us," Kennedy chuckled nervously while glancing at the redhead, "all about finding the fun."

"Well what are you doing up here?" Faith asked curiously.

"Oh, well we were looking for you guys of course," Willow chimed in.

"Yeah but our room's that way," Faith hooked a thumb over her shoulder, "Ken knows that."

"Well yeah, of course I know that...but um," Kennedy trailed off and looked to Willow for help.

"...B...but when you didn't answer, we went to check with Steve and Erin too to see if they'd seen you guys. But obviously they haven't because you're here in front of us...and again with the kissing," Willow noted as she watched the slayers exchange a quick peck on the lips. "Okay then...now that we know neither of us was with them, we can stop bothering them and go now," Willow supplied helpfully.

"Yes we can," Buffy said as she pulled out of Faiths grasp and then grabbed her best friend's hand and pulled her along, headed towards the elevator. "There's a ton of stuff we need to get done in a short amount of time. I'm thinking we should get some shopping out of the way since that'll take up most of our time. I need to find the perfect dress, maybe something strapless or off the shoulder, and there's this cute little boutique I spotted on the strip where I can accessorize."

Kennedy shot Faith a look, causing the older brunette to shrug as she fell in step behind the two friends.

"Then we have to get our hair done. I'm thinking if I go with something off the shoulder, I should have it down. And I really need to find somewhere to have this nail fixed, it looks hideous," Buffy held her hand up to inspect the mutilated nail. She continued on voicing her plans but was halted when she felt her friend stop walking.

"Um Buff? Is there maybe something you want to tell me first?" Willow asked apprehensively as she looked at her friend.

"Yes!" Buffy squealed excitedly as she stuck out her left hand in front of Willow. "Faith and I are getting married!"

"Whoa, that's some rock you got there, Buff" Willow gaped as she took Buffy's hand in hers and studied the sparkling gem. "B...but how did this happen? More importantly when?"

"Well," Buffy started as she wrapped an arm around Faith's waist as she approached, "the how is because we're in love of course. The when...well it just sort of happened."

"Yeah but why here, why now?" Willow questioned. "I didn't even know the two of you were you know...making with the girly loving. Buffy I didn't even know you were into the girly loving..." Kennedy cleared her throat and shot Willow a skeptical look. "Okay, s...so we suspected you were but we didn't think you had the nerves to actually tell Faith how you felt yet."

"Yeah you're both so damn thick and now all of a sudden you're getting married. It just doesn't add up."

"God will you listen to yourselves! You're pretty much telling us that you know we were in love with each other so how hard is it to actually believe that we want to get married. You're our friends; I thought you would be happy for us. They're ruining my happy day," Buffy pouted as she threw her arms around Faith and buried her head in her chest.

"Shhh...hey it's okay baby." Faith wrapped an arm around her upset girlfriend while running soothing hand along her back and then turned to scowl at the witch and younger slayer.

"Oh no, Buff it's...it's not that, I swear. I love weddings! What's not to love with the frilly dresses and...and the open bar! But it's just that...that this seems so sudden and happening in the now and the last time something like this happened...," Willow trailed off as her eyes widened and a look of disbelief crossed her features, "...the last time this happened...oh dear goddess." Willow's hands shot to her mouth.

"Willow, what's wrong?" Ken asked, her voice filled with concern as she took a step closer and placed a hand on Willow's shoulder.

"Yeah Red, what's the what?"

Buffy lifted her head and gazed suspiciously at Willow. "Willow, just what are you implying here?" Although she appeared to be calm, Buffy's tone came out low and dangerous.

"Um, I...I imply that maybe we should all go somewhere and sit down and think about this," Willow suggested as she looked around nervously.

"Preferably somewhere where there'll be food," Kennedy piped in rubbing her stomach as she felt her hunger pains growing.

"No! I know what you're thinking Will, and this so isn't what this is. This...this is different, Faith and I are soul mates and we're in love," Buffy declared, as she looked pleadingly at the redhead.

"Will someone tell me what the hell you two are talking about?" Faith asked with more than a tinge of annoyance.

"Back in college, Willow went all depresso girl and did this spell that made whatever she said come true. All sorts of crazy stuff started happening, and on the top of the list of all that craziness was me and Spike being married," Buffy explained.

With a gasp, Faith moved her arms that were around Buffy and they dropped to her side. Her mouth gapped and she looked at Buffy with a hurt expression. "You've been married before?" Faith's usually husky voice rose unusually higher than normal and her fists clenched as she stared at Buffy. "And to Spike? Why haven't you told me this before?"

Buffy knew that whenever her and the bleach blonde vampire's sordid relationship was mentioned, it made the brunette tense and get in a pissy mood, so she quickly tried to explain. "There's nothing to tell! Mainly because I really don't want to relive my Sunnydale days with Spike. Besides, we never actually got married, it was the spell Willow did and none of it was real. Not like what we have. Right Willow?" Buffy looked to her friend for affirmation.

"Buffy I...I really think we need to think about this for a second," Willow told her, growing more and more convinced that her best friend was once again an unwilling participant in one of her spells.

"Willow you know how far we've come and how close we've gotten. It's like we're so different, but yet we're the same. We finish each other's sentences and we even call each other at the same time sometimes. So this is nothing like before Will, I love her."

Buffy turned to gaze adoringly into Faith's dark brown eyes and cupped her cheeks. "You know I love you baby." Buffy soothed, running her thumbs softly against Faith's cheeks. "You're so amazing and caring and you always know what to do or say to make my day better." Buffy shook her head at the notion that what she was feeling was because of a spell. "You're the most important person in my life and even though you drive me crazy sometimes you turn me on even more and I can't get enough of you. I never want to be without you Faith; I want us to spend the rest of our lives together."

Much to Buffy's relief, Faith softened and smiled genuinely, deep dimples on full display. "And these," Buffy ran a finger over Faith's cheeks, "aren't they the most adorable things you've ever seen. I mean just look at her, she's gorgeous. How can I not want to marry her?" Buffy leaned in and placed a series of gentle kisses on Faith's lips.

"Ah shucks B, I didn't know you cared," Faith said teasingly with an uncharacteristic blush when she pulled back.

"This is getting kinda freaky. If one of them starts boiling rabbits, can I shoot em' with my crossbow?" Kennedy whispered into Willow's ear as she stepped closer, earning her an elbow in the stomach.

"Look Buffy, I'm not saying that all that isn't true. It's just...I...I think that I may have...," Willow tried but was cut off again.

"No Will, this isn't another one of those spells. Besides, what are the odds that you would do that to me again!" Buffy exclaimed as she clung to Faith.

"Yeah Red, this isn't what you and Junior here are thinking. I don't care what went down before but I do know I don't need a spell to tell me how much I love B." It was Faith's turn to gaze lovingly into Buffy's eyes. "She's my whole world, and I've loved her since the first time I saw her. I know I did some pretty fucked up stuff back then to her...to all of you, but it was only because I knew I couldn't have her and I was too fucked up to stop myself from going bat shit crazy because of it. But we got past it and I love Buffy more than anything and she loves back and there's nothing in the world that'll ever change that." She leaned down and placed another kiss on Buffy's lips. "Especially not some stupid fucking spell," Faith said venomously as she turned her head to face Willow with a sinister glare.

"Okay, I think we all just need to calm the hell down for a second," Kennedy said as she stepped protectively in front of Willow. "All she is saying is that we need to think about this for a second. Buffy, you blush like a fucking school girl and go into one of your indiscernible rambles every time anyone mentions anything about you and Faith together. And Faith, I'm your best friend..."

"I thought I was your best friend," Buffy said with a pout as she turned to look at Faith.

"Best friend ever, baby." Faith kissed the pouty lips. "Ken's just talking shit and trying to make a point. Let's just indulge her okay?"

"Fine, as long as she knows that," Buffy stated as she turned back to Kennedy with a smug look on her face.

"Whatever." Kennedy rolled her eyes and continued. "Faith, you and I are good friends," she emphasized to appease the bratty blonde slayer, "and whenever I bring up you and Buffy in a more than platonic way you become avoido girl and you change the subject or you just walk out. Now look at the two of you! You're standing here professing your love for each other like you're quoting Shakespeare. Quite frankly...it's kinda freaky and it definitely has to be a spell!"

The tension in the hallway was thick as the four girls just stood there, neither of them saying anything for long moment. The three slayers were throwing glares around while the witch stood there uneasily, wringing her hands.

The dinging of the elevator and the door opening was a much needed distraction to break the tension as they all turned their head as a man pushing a food cart stepped out and headed in their direction. Kennedy's nostril's flared and her stomach rumbled as she inhaled the aroma of the food being carted her way.

As the man approached, she abruptly stood in front of him and grasped the corners of the cart. "I'll double your tip if you leave this here and just walk away."

"I um...I could lose my job ma'am," the man answered, clearly startled by the request.

"You're seriously not trying to extort food from this guy," Faith grabbed Kennedy by the arm and pulled her away from the cart.

"I'm hungry!" Kennedy exclaimed. "And we're just standing around here discussing your and Buffy's imaginary relationship. So we either need to get moving so I can get me something to eat or I'm taking that cart."

Faith of all people knew the pull of the hungries and the need for a slayer to eat, so she figured she better get Kennedy some food and soon before she started gnawing on her own leg. "How bout we just head to mine and B's room and you can order some room service while we find a way to put an end to this bullshit theory you and Red got going."

"Fine," Kennedy said as she grabbed Willow's hand and started towards the direction of Buffy and Faith's room, "but you're paying," she called over her shoulder.

"Faaaith," Buffy whined as she stood with her arms crossed and a pout on full display. "We're wasting precious pre-wedding prep time here!"

"I know, but c'mon B, let's just get this over with and prove them wrong so we can do what you need to do, okay? In a few short hours we're gonna be married and this whole mess that Red and Ken are going on about will be a thing of the past."

"Fine." Buffy gave in with a huff and she stalked towards their room. "But if I'm late for my own wedding, the honeymoon is so not going according to your plans," she called over her shoulder.

"Didn't make any plans B, was just gonna wing it," Faith called after her. "Fuck...tell me again how the hell this my fault all of a sudden?" She mumbled as followed behind the blonde at a safe distance.

Approaching the door, she sighed heavily. Faith wasn't sure what was going to happen once she stepped in the room. What she was confident about, was that whatever happened, nothing would change how she felt about the blonde slayer, nothing ever could. She only hoped that it didn't end with having to break down and agree to wear a dress. Faith rolled her eyes at the notion and pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Here goes nothing."


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Upon entering the room Kennedy immediately searched for a phone to call for room service, while Willow looked around briefly before spotting the well-stocked, open mini bar and inconspicuously shuffled her way over to it.

Faith however, had a point to prove. She rushed past Buffy, grabbing her hand in the process and dragged her over to the largest couch that was in the living room area of their room. She flopped down on the couch, quickly pulling Buffy on top of her.

"Faith!" Buffy squealed as she fell on top of the grinning slayer. "What're you doing?" she asked, pushing against Faith's chest trying to upright herself.

Faith ignored the glare and the shunning efforts of her fiancé and tightly wrapped her arms around Buffy's lower back to keep her from escaping. She squirmed around on the couch in an attempt to make herself comfortable and adjusted her legs so that they fell open causing Buffy to slip between her thighs, their lower halves molding together perfectly.

"Faith! I'm supposed to be mad at you, remember?" Buffy asked as she once again as she brought her hands to the brunette's shoulders and once again tried to pull away. This only served to press their hips closer together, adding more pressure against Faith's long neglected intimate area.

Faith's grip tightened as she bit back a groan and squeezed her eyes shut. "I remember," she breathed out, her gravelly voice coming out in a low whisper and dripping with need. "But I just figured with how on and off you've been all day I thought maybe I'd take my chances that you'd flipped the switch by now and decide you want to love on me instead." Faith slowly opened her eyes to look up at Buffy, a soft smile playing across her lips.

Buffy looked down at the beautiful raven haired girl. She had to admit that she probably had been giving Faith a hard time today, but it was only because she was on the verge of having a meltdown about all of the things she needed to get done before the wedding. This day was special and she wanted it to be perfect and no one seemed to be paying any attention to what she wanted. It was more than enough to make a girl turn into bridezilla.

The blonde slayer sighed softly as she gazed into Faith's eyes. They shone with want, a little mischief but more importantly, love. Something she always saw when she looked into the soulful brown eyes of her soul mate, and it was the very thing that always made her heart tighten in her chest and made everything wrong in her world, right again.

Faith raised her brows slightly in a questioning gesture at Buffy's musing stare, causing Buffy's eyes to drift away for a second before she brought them back up to look apologetically at Faith, a pout forming on her lips. Faith eyes rolled in a dramatic manner, but she couldn't help the grin that pulled at her lips as she leaned up and placed a brief, gentle kiss on Buffy's pouty lips. Pulling away, Faith bounced her brows once suggestively, this time causing Buffy's eyes to roll as she chuckled at her playfulness, but also knowing that her outburst moments ago had been forgiven.

The couple often communicated silently, and to an onlooker, it looked like the two were merely just staring at each other, however, to the Chosen Two, their silent conversations told them all they needed to know within each other and they always were able to discern what the other was thinking by a simple look or gesture.

Buffy's hands slowly slid from their spot on Faith's chest up to her neck. She caressed the side of it with her thumbs slowly before sliding her arms around Faith's neck and pressing her body flush against the brunette.

"Ah, see I told you B. This couch is pretty damn comfortable, yeah?"

"Feels pretty good from my point of view," Buffy agreed with a smirk from her position on top of Faith. "How about from down there?" Buffy asked teasingly, her lips brushing softly over as she shifted in a deliberate rocking motion so that one of her thighs was pressed directly against the brunette's throbbing center.

The action pulled a pleasurable moan from Faith and her hands shifted to grab ahold of Buffy's hips. "Uh, yeah…it's all five by five from this end," Faith's gravelly voice replied, strained and thick with desire.

She raised her head and captured the blonde's lips with her own and Buffy eagerly returned the kiss while wasting no time in deepening it as she slid her tongue inside of Faith's parted lips. Both slayers moaned as tongues dueled and their hands roamed.

"Ahem," Kennedy cleared her throat as she stood at the end of the couch and looked down at the pair. "You do realize there are other people in this hotel suite with you right?"

"Yeah about that," Faith said as she peered over Buffy's shoulder to look at Kennedy, "maybe you could change that order so it's delivered to your own room and you and Red can clear out of here."

"Don't think so Lehane, you are so buying my breakfast. Besides I need to ask Buffy something," Kennedy said anxiously as she leaned over and placed her hands on the armrest.

"What is it Kennedy," Buffy asked, annoyance filling her tone as she begrudgingly pulled herself away from her raven-haired beauty and turned to face the youngest slayer. In a huff, Faith moved behind her and pulled herself into a sitting position to allow Buffy to sit back against her chest and into her embrace.

"Well, it's just that you haven't said anything about the luggage, so I was just um…you know, wondering if you liked it?" Kennedy asked nervously.

"Oh," Buffy looked surprised by Kennedy's question. However, what puzzled her most was the nervousness that was shown when she asked it. It almost appeared that the younger slayer was looking for her approval, something the rebellious younger slayer would never admit too.

"Well I wasn't expecting you to buy me a whole new set, but I like them," Buffy told her with a genuine smile.

Kennedy seemed to be pleased with this answer and a bright smile spread across her face as she breathed a sigh of relief. "Good! I'm really glad that you do. I was worried that you wouldn't really like the color."

"Well it's not the color I would've chosen, but I'll get over to it. It really is nice luggage plus it has the one requirement I asked for...wheels!" Buffy said happily.

"Yeah those would have to be a necessity with as much shit as you pack B. Even with being a slayer hauling all your shit around is a challenge," Faith teased while she ducked her head and nuzzled into the crook of Buffy's neck, causing her to giggle.

Kennedy's smiled vanished and she looked aghast as her eyes focused on Faith. "You said she would be okay with the color! I would've gone to more stores if I had known she wouldn't like it!"

"Kennedy, it's fine really. What's with the freak out?" Buffy asked thoroughly confused and a little concerned by the younger girl's outburst.

"Yeah Junior, what the hell is wrong with you? Since when are you so damn concerned about what colors B likes?" As soon as the question was out of Faith's mouth, her eyes widened slightly as a revelation hit her. "Maybe y_ou're_ the one under a spell!" she accused. "You give B just as much shit as I do about all the damn pink and now you're throwing a fucking tantrum about picking the wrong color."

"What! No way. I'm not under anything so don't try to turn this around on me. Besides, Will's my girl; I don't think she'd be hitting me with the mojo," Kennedy defended.

"I don't think it works like that Kennedy. If this is anything like before and Willow isn't aware of the what then the who doesn't matter," Buffy explained. "So I think it's perfectly logical to assume that if anyone has been hit with witchfu it would be you. You're the one she's been with the entire time, have the two of you done anything unusual since we've been here?" Buffy interrogated.

"Unusual?" Kennedy's voice got unusually high and her eyes widened as she quickly stood upright and turned her back to her accusers. Her mind immediately ran over the predicament and the lack of details of the previous night her and Willow awoke to less than an hour ago. "Um…not at all, everything has been right as rain with me and Willow. Right Will?" Kennedy waited for her girlfriend to agree, but when only silence followed she spun around to scan the room for the witch, but her eyes fell back on the amused faces of her fellow slayers.

Faith raised a curious brow and smirk, while Buffy raised a finger and gestured pointedly at the red head on the other side of the room hovering around the mini wet bar.

"Right as rain, yeah?" Faith teased. "I think Red may have hit herself with a little bit of the mojo too. She looks like she's about one more drink away from needing to be in 12 step program. I should've known something was up when she kept knocking back the shots last night. Ain't no way she would've been able to stand all that without a little coaxing to whatever goddess she worships."

"Kennedy, I think you better go grab Will before she gets too far gone. We need to get a move on and I really don't need my maid of honor to be the clichéd drunk at my wedding," Buffy said worriedly while peering over at her friend.

The older slayers then watched as the disgruntled younger brunette stalked away while grumbling and headed towards her girlfriend.

"Anything specific we need to be on the lookout for with the spell deal, B?" Faith questioned with her eyes focused on the source of said spell.

"Well we all still have our vision and there haven't been any demons running rampant. The hotel isn't in an uproar and the cops aren't looking for us so I think this is only narrowed down to the two of them this time around," Buffy answered as she sat back against Faith and turned slightly so she could look at her over her shoulder.

Faith's brows furrowed. "I'm not even gonna ask," she said after a few moments. "I am however gonna ask about this you being married to Spike thing. You've never mentioned anything about that before, why?" Faith tried not to sound like she was making an accusation.

"Honestly there was nothing to tell." Buffy only shrugged nonchalantly and remained casual, really not wanting this to be an issue and turning her words over in her head so whatever she said wouldn't be misconstrued and cause a fight.

"So you want me to believe that the fact that the two of you ended up fucking like rabbits on speed had nothing to do with it."

"It absolutely did not." Buffy scoffed, slightly offended. "The whole mistake with me being engaged to Spike was exactly that Faith, a stupid mistake caused by a spell. And the whole me sleeping with him thing…," Buffy trailed off and closed her eyes briefly and sighed heavily. It was something she didn't want to remember let along talk about. She knew the reasoning for it; she couldn't say that even now she understood it so she wasn't sure if she could say it in a way to make her girlfriend see it as well.

Buffy sighed heavily again before she shifted in Faith's arms and turned around to straddle her lap. She brought her hands up and placed them on either side of Faith's neck and gazed into confused, stormy eyes. "Look Faith, that particular time in my life is not something I'm particularly proud of, okay?" Faith sat still, her gaze unwavering as Buffy continued. "I was in a bad place when that happened and it's not something I want to dredge up or over analyze anymore. Especially not with the woman I love on what's supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives."

Faith stared intently at Buffy as she slowly brought her hands to rest on Buffy's hips. She sighed softly before nodding her understanding of what Buffy was saying. She too, didn't really want to dig much deeper into trying to understand what exactly it was Buffy saw in Spike. Much like before, when she'd heard about their sordid relationship from the bleach blond vampire himself when she came back to help out with The First, just thinking about Buffy being with him, no matter what state of mind she was, made her want to stake him at first sight.

"I'm sorry baby," Faith said as she brought herself forward to wrap her arms around Buffy's waist and laid her head against her chest to hug her. "I'm an idiot, we both know that, but it's only because I love you so much and you make me so damn crazy I can't think straight." Faith turned her head to nuzzle it against Buffy's breasts as she held on tighter.

"Well you thinking anything remotely along the lines of _straight_ isn't a good thing as far as I'm concerned," Buffy stated with a chuckled at her fiancés choice of words. She wrapped her arms around Faith's neck and laid her head against Faith's head. "But you don't have anything to be sorry about sweetheart." Buffy planted a soft kiss on the top on Faith's head. "Just know that I love you and only you and I always will," she confessed.

Faith pulled back from the embrace to look up at Buffy. "I love you too, B," she told her and then brought a hand to the back of Buffy's neck to bring their lips together in a passionate kiss.

"Willow!" Kennedy yelled as she walked towards her girlfriend. "What are you doing?"

Willow jumped slightly and turned around at having been startled by Kennedy's forceful bellow. She raised her hand to wipe some spilt liquid off her chin and in her hand she held a champagne glass that was half full. "Kenny, what's wrong?" she asked thoroughly confused by the younger girl's agitated state.

"What's wrong? You're kidding me right? You're drinking alcohol at eight in the morning." Kennedy said with a disbelievingly look as she glared at the glass in the redhead's hand.

"What? It's champagne and _orange juice…_a mimosa! So that means it's a breakfast drink, and…and it's breakfast time! So this is perfectly acceptable and drinkable now," Willow declared with a definitive nod and then downed the rest of her drink.

Kennedy looked at the empty glass in her girlfriend's hand and took in the genuine look of consternation on her girlfriend's face. She shook her head at the absurdity of the situation and laughed sardonically. "Unbelievable! They were right." She threw her hands up as she spoke.

"Who was right and about what?" Willow asked as she set about pouring herself another drink.

Kennedy quickly moved to remove the bottle out of her witch's hand and set it back on the bar. She grabbed both of Willow's hands in her own and pulled her a few steps away. "Honey, listen to me okay," upon seeing the nod her girlfriend gave her, Kennedy continued. "You remember when we were just talking out in the hallway about how Buffy and Faith could be under some type of spell?"

"Of course I remember. And it's so obvious that something is going on with those two, Buffy would never let Faith get away with the grabby hands like she is now while we're in here." Willow's eyes immediately shifted over Kennedy's shoulder to look at her two friends.

Kennedy peered over her shoulder at the pair. Buffy had her head thrown back with her eyes closed and although Faith was now out of view, Kennedy couldn't mistake the moving lump under Buffy's shirt and on her chest for anything other than the older brunette's roaming hand. She internally confirmed that Buffy would never let Faith openly feel her up the way the older brunette was now. Something had to give.

"Okay so can you please focus and put a stop to this? Besides I don't think they were the only ones affected by this," Kennedy cautioned as her eyes fell back on the Wicca.

"What are you talking about Kenny?" Willow asked as she too dragged her eyes away from the frisky slayers. "Oh…OH!" Willow began to wave a hand frantically in front of Kennedy's face.

Kennedy reached out and grabbed the witch's wrist and placing them down at her side. "What the hell are you doing?"

Willow sighed in relief. "Oh good you can see me then?"

"Of course I can see you!" Kennedy yelled.

"So I'm not all fuzzy and appearing in two's or anything, right?" Willow asked with a genuinely concerned look, but her face dropped to a more serious one upon her girlfriends incredulously look. "Sorry, I was just checking."

"I don't know what that was about but can you please just fix this before those two start having sex in front of us." Kennedy gestured behind her.

Willow nodded briskly. "Right. I can fix this." The Wicca looked to her friends one last time and closed her eyes. A goofy grin crossed her lips and she swayed a little.

Kennedy immediately threw her arms around her to steady her. "C'mon baby…focus."

After a few minutes of Kennedy's coddling, the Wicca took a deep breath and softly began to recite an incantation. She opened her eyes and they immediately fell on her girlfriend. Kennedy appeared slightly confused at first, but not soon after, her eyes shifted around the space behind Willow as if she was debating something but then shrugged it off.

"Damn. I hope that food gets here soon." Was all Kennedy said as her stomach growled viciously. Her hunger was soon forgotten as she saw the panicked look on the redhead's face and watched as her girlfriend's face blanched and her hands shot to her mouth. "Will…honey are you okay?" Kennedy asked worriedly.

"Faith!" the blonde slayer yelled when her eyes popped open and she found herself looking into equally stunned brown eyes. Her eyes widened even more as she felt the warm caress of a hand on her breast. Wide green eyes traveled from the brunette's face and down to her arm that obtrusively disappeared under her shirt. "Oh my god! What're you doing?" she squealed as her hand grabbed onto the arm of the girl beneath her to intervene with her fondling.

Faith lay underneath the fretful slayer in a stupor at her current situation. However, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if said horse was currently turning redder than erupting lava with the steam to boot, the raven haired girl flashed a dimpled grin at her good fortune. "Aww…c'mon B, it looks like I was just getting to the good parts."

In a fit, Buffy tried to dislodge herself from Faith as hastily as possible. In her effort, her foot got trapped between the prone girl and the couch and she found herself tumbling to the floor.

"Whoa, easy there B," the brunette said as she quickly reacted and reached out to grab the falling slayer around the waist. In doing this, it caused Faith to rise and pull the blonde back against her. "You good?" Faith asked with genuine concern but found herself being attacked by flailing arms as Buffy turned slightly in her grasp.

"Oh get off me, Faith," Buffy retorted hotly as she slapped vigorously at Faith's arms.

"What the fuck, B?" The brunette tried to get an explanation as she tried to get ahold of the ill-tempered slayers arms. "Goddamnit Buffy, quit it already. What the hell is your problem?" Faith finally let go.

This seemed to get the infuriated blonde's attention as she hit the floor with an audible 'oomph'. She crawled a few paces away from the couch while mumbling indiscernibly before she finally stood. "What's my problem? What's _my_ problem Faith?" Buffy huffed as she turned to look at Faith. "This…" her arms flailed around again as she motioned to back and forth between the two of them.

"What?" Faith feigned innocence; still unsure herself of just what the hell was going on.

"What?" Buffy mocked, throwing her hands up in a dramatic gesture. "This!" She repeated, arms flailing once again. "You. Me. With…with the making out just now. T…There was tongue and…and grabby hands. They were on my…my," Buffy narrowed her eyes, "oh you know where they were."

A smirk crossed Faith's lips and her eyes darted to Buffy's chest as she thought back to seconds ago to when her hand was cupping one of Buffy's small pert breasts.

"Yes….there!" Buffy yelled while pointing accusingly at the brunette as she took in the look on her face. "What the hell did you do!"

The look on Faith's face immediately morphed to one of indignation. "I didn't do anything!" she yelled as she stood. "And your tongue and hands weren't all that idle either Blondie. You gave just as good and you were definitely into it."

Buffy looked horrified at Faith's statement. "I was not! It was…I was," Buffy trailed off unable to wrap her mind around what it or she was. Unable to come up with a suitable reply, the blonde stomped a foot and crossed her arms over her chest and began to pout.

"Look, just relax B and let's think about this for a second okay?" Faith ran a nervous hand through her hair before looking up to catch the pouting slayer's gaze. Their eyes locked for a few seconds and if on cue, both pairs widened as the Chosen Two simultaneously starting remembering. Buffy's in horror and Faith's in amused disbelief as they began to think back on the events of their weekend.

"Oh god," Buffy groaned as she brought her hands up to cover her face.

"Fucking A," Faith awed as she heavily sat down and leaned back against the couch and stretched her arms leisurely over the back with a Cheshire grin plastered on her face.

"This isn't happening. This…this really isn't happening. It…It's a dream!" Buffy looked up from the shameful enclosure of her palms. "That's it! This is all a dream and I'm going to wake up all snuggly in my bed with my yummy sushi pj's and…with…with…"

"With me," Faith finished for her with a shit eating grin on her face. Buffy's head snapped in her direction and with slayer speed Faith got off the couch and approached Buffy and grabbed her arm and pinched it.

"Oww!" Buffy protested and recoiled from her abuser.

"See, ain't a dream, girlfriend….just you and me in the land of reality, or in your case the land of denial. You got all down and dirty yesterday with yours truly and you liked it," Faith accused as she moved in closer to Buffy.

Buffy's eyes widened at what the brunette slayer had just implied, or at least at what Buffy thought she was referring too. "I did not get down and dirty with you! I mean, not really." Buffy frown slightly as she amended her statement. "I just got a little carried away that's all and it clearly wasn't my fault." She defended with a pout fully in place.

"Look B," Faith started and reached out to Buffy only to have her hand slapped away by the still agitated blonde. She held up her hands in a surrendering gesture and continued, "I didn't say it was your fault okay, just that it happened," Faith finished with a nonchalant shrug before her face broke out in a suspicious grin. "And I'll be damned if it wasn't wicked hot, especially when…"

Buffy abruptly cut Faith off by placing a hand over her mouth. "Don't Faith. Just don't," Buffy half demanded and half pleaded as she glared menacingly at the more than pleased with herself slayer. Not only could she feel the jaw aching smile the brunette donned under her hand but she could see the delighted look in her eyes and the heart stopping dimples that appeared as Faith nodded her head, as to say she wouldn't finish what she was about to say.

Buffy eyed Faith warily and removed her hand cautiously, just in case her sneaky friend decided to once again attempt to give voice to the provocative twenty-four hours they'd spent together. Faith opened her mouth to say something but she was roughly pushed back down against the couch and Buffy approached her slowly.

"Not. Another. Word." Buffy glared menacingly as she stood over Faith.

Faith's eyes lit up in amusemen. "Or what? You gonna give me a lap dance now Blondie?" she asked in a low seductive tone, causing her usual raspy voice to sound sexier than normal.

From the tone and the expectant look the brunette was giving her, Buffy's body acted on its own accord. A flush of excitement coursed through her and goose bumps rippled over her skin as her mind suddenly conjured up images of her giving the sexy slayer a lap dance. Buffy squeezed her eyes shut in a futile attempt to block out the images.

"C'mon B, you got some wicked moves girlfriend. Don't get all shy on me now," Faith cooed.

She rose slightly on the couch and her arms shot out so she could grab onto the back of Buffy's thighs and she pulled her towards her until she stood between her thighs and her shins hit the couch, causing Buffy to stumble forward.

"Faith!" Buffy chided as she was brought out of her sexy dance stupor and her own arms shot forward and she grabbed onto Faith's shoulders to halt her direct descent on the brunette's lap. This however left the slayers faces mere inches away from each other. Buffy's warm breath was now coming out in short pants and her heart beat wildly in her chest as she watched Faith's gaze dart between her eyes and her mouth.

Faith's tongue eased its way past her parted lips and moistened them. A sexy smirk appeared on her lips as she watched Buffy's own tongue dart out and mirror the image. "So is this another one of those deals where I'm not supposed to touch you, or do I get free reign of this hot little body of yours this time?"

Buffy scoffed and rolled her eyes as she none to gently pushed against Faith's shoulders and brought herself to a standing position. "Shut _up _Faith. I told you not to bring that up."

"You know I rarely ever listen to you B," Faith said with a playful grin.

"Okay, look….I don't know what happened but I'm sure whatever it is can be undone," Buffy reasoned as she started to pace.

"Um, B…correct me if I'm wrong, but…" Faith started but was interrupted by Buffy.

"Yes, you're completely wrong Faith. No doubt about it."

Faith rolled her eyes as she stood. "You're fucking hilarious B. But seriously, whatever happened seems to have already been undone or do you not remember your little acrobatics stunt moments ago."

"Yeah I guess so," Buffy said with a heavy sigh and then brought her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

Faith frowned as she took in the stressed stance of her sister slayer. Once again she let her mind wander over the previous evening and the moments they'd spent together up until a little while ago. She couldn't help the sadness that washed over her at the contrast in Buffy's mood. Twenty-four hours ago they were all over each, kissing and touching without thought or caution. The way Buffy's lips felt on hers when she kissed her deeply and the way her skin felt when she caressed it and the way it felt to just hold her when they'd slept the night before was something Faith knew she wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. Just thinking about it gave her the urge to want to wrap her arms around Buffy, kiss her and tell her everything would be fine. However, the tiny blonde had already made it clear that she did not want her touching her anymore, so she resisted reaching out to her again. Clearly the spell had been lifted.

Faith's frown deepened, but this time for a different reason. "A spell," she said softly details of their conversation from the hallway and with Kennedy filtering into her mind.

Having heard Faith, Buffy dropped her hand and raised her head swiftly. "A spell," Buffy repeated just as softly as she looked to Faith. As their eyes met, thoughts of their time together flashed through her mind. A soft smile crossed Buffy's lips as she thought back to them planning their wedding together and how happy she felt. She remembered how sweet and loving Faith had been and how it made her heart flutter when Faith told her that she loved her.

Buffy's smile soon faded and she shook her head. "It was just a spell." One that she definitely knew was over because now all Faith seemed to be fixated on was the stripping parts of it. She couldn't help the blush that crept up from her neck and over her cheeks as she also thought back to being up on the stage and dancing and taking her clothes off in a crowded room full of strangers.

"B? Are you okay?" Faith asked in concern as she saw the mortified look on Buffy's face.

Buffy covered her face with her hands, it burned with embarrassment, and she shook her head at Faith's question. _Was she okay?_ Absolutely not, Buffy thought to herself and wondered how she was going to bring herself to leave the hotel room in fear of running into someone that recognized her.

Moments later though, Buffy's head shot up, her face a little redder, but from more than just embarrassment, now with murderous intent. As if the room suddenly came into focus, Buffy's head turned and room's two other occupants came into view.

Faith turned her head to follow Buffy's menacing glare and saw Kennedy with an amused smirk as she held onto a sheepish looking Willow.

"H..h..hi guys," Willow managed with a nervous little wave.

Neither slayer spoke and watched as Willow's face suddenly paled, her eyes widened and she lurched forward, spewing the contents of her drinks she had made minutes ago and whatever stomach bile had settled from previous night's numerous amount of drinks she'd had.

Kennedy watched in surprised horror as the red head emptied the foul liquid onto the plush carpet. She then watched as Buffy stalked away to the bathroom, and she jumped slightly at the sound the door made when it met the frame from the slayer sized shoved it had received. Her eyes slowly shifted and they fell on Faith who also had watched the furious blonde walk away and then turn her gaze back to her with a scowl firmly in place.

Kennedy held her hands up in a placating gesture, clearly thinking of something to say or do to keep volcano Faith from erupting. "I swear I'm gonna clean that up!"


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

Willow groaned audibly as the smell of bacon and maple syrup invaded her nostrils. Normally, waking up with the delicious aroma filling the air made her mouth water with delight, but in this instance it made her stomach churn and her mouth water from a less than appealing notion.

Her eyes fluttered opened and she struggled to get them to focus. She heard the faint sound of a t.v. in the background, but the most prominent noise she could hear was a very loud and in her current state, an extremely annoying smack.

Her head lolled to the side and in the direction of the offending noise to see her girlfriend happily munching on a strip of bacon while she eyed something in her other hand. Willow went to open her mouth to ask if she would please tone down the decibel level of her eating, but the dryness of it made her cringe slightly and swallow several times trying to get her salivary glands working to provide some type of relief to her dry mouth.

Seeing the red head's dilemma, Kennedy quickly put away what she was looking at and poured her a glass of water and offered it. "Here you go, this should help." At Willow's suspicious look at the offered glass, with a chuckle Kennedy added, "What? No more hair of dog?"

"The dog was angry about missing patches in his coat and bit me in the ass," Willow grumbled as she eyed the clear liquid.

"Don't worry baby, it's just water, you know I wouldn't do you that way," Kennedy chuckled.

"What we're you looking at?" Willow asked as she took the glass, and with Kennedy's help, reluctantly brought herself to a sitting position.

Kennedy reached over and picked up what she was looking at before her girlfriend woke. "Their passes to one of the hottest nightclubs here in Vegas. I don't know how they managed to snag them, but we should definitely check this place out before we leave."

"Oh I think my fun having days are over for the rest of my life," Willow groaned as she placed a hand over her face before she took a healthy sip of the water and looked around the room. "This is the second time I've woken up in a strange bed. Please tell me there aren't any naked manly parts on the floor this time."

"Don't worry, we're in Faith and Buffy's room and although I can't be sure on the prior nudity status of the occupants, I do know they aren't manly," Kennedy said with a chuckle, but then her smile faltered and she quickly looked down to the space between her and Willow at the bed as she thought of the implications her statement. "You don't think they…you know…while they were under that spell do you?"

Willow groaned again, knowing that between Faith's sexually charged charisma and a very sexually frustrated Buffy it was likely that they had indeed made with the slayer loving while under the pretense of a pre-matrimonial relationship. "They're going to kill me," the Wicca groused as she let her head fall back against the headboard. "Ow," she whined and brought a hand up to her head.

Kennedy leaned over with a chuckle and kissed the side of her head. "No, they aren't. Hell they may even thank you; we both know it was a long time coming." Kennedy looked thoughtful for a moment. "I mean maybe not exactly under these circumstances…but don't worry babe, I got ya back."With a grin she picked up another piece of bacon and bit half of it off and held up the other half to her girlfriend.

"Thanks, that makes me feel so much better," Willow supplied weakly, and then shook her head at the half eaten food the younger girl offered.

"C'mon, you should probably eat something," Kennedy said as she reached over and grabbed a bagel from her tray.

Willow watched the brunette slathtering cream cheese on the bagel and slammed her eyes shut as her mouth began to water once again at the thought of ingesting anything solid. "No thank you," she said as she shook her head, and immediately regretted it as the onslaught of nausea rushed at her.

"Fine," Kennedy relented and took a bite out of the bagel, "what kind of spell were you under anyway?"

"I…I don't really know. I mean I know, but I don't _know_ know. The specifics of the actual spell don't take on meaning until I wish for something."

"What'd you do? Wish to be a lush or something?" Kennedy quizzed as she took another bite of bagel.

Willow seemed to think about it for a moment before she spoke and then chuckled slightly. "Yeah I guess I did."

"Huh?" Kennedy asked around a mouthful of bagel.

"Before we left, do you remember giving me that drink?" Willow asked.

"Well yeah, it was to help with your nervousness about flying."

"And do you remember what we said after I drank it?"

"You said it tasted horrible," Kennedy supplied.

"And?" Willow looked at her girlfriend expectantly.

A confused looked crossed Kennedy's face as she thought back on the moment. As if a light bulb went off over her head, realization dawned on her. "I made a comment about how you're a light weight, and then you said something along the lines of not everyone has a wrought iron gut like I did, except maybe Faith, and I told you that you wished you had the alcohol tolerance that we had and you agreed. Then after that you pretty much consumed the whole bottle. I thought it was kinda weird, but I know how you are about flying so...," Kennedy's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "That's it? That's all you have to do to make something just…" her arms flailed around as she tried to find the right word for what she wanted to say, "magically happen?"

Willow nodded. "Yep, that's pretty much the hows of the how it happens."

Kennedy sat back against the headboard heavily, and then pulled a face at her girlfriend referring to her and Faith as lushes then another thought occurred to her. "Well what on earth did you wish for to have us end up in a foursome?"

"I…um, I…really don't know." Kennedy looked skeptically at her girlfriend which caused Willow's eyes to widen at the gesture. "How do you even know it was _my _wish? It could've been you missy, you are the sexually adventurous one after all."

"Yeah but it's not like I've had a real desire for a foursome!" Kennedy exclaimed, and this time it was Willow's turn to look skeptical. "Okay, okay…maybe," the slayer amended, "but never with a guy!"

"Well maybe it's good that we don't know. Which is why I thought we agreed to not mention the unmentionable thing that happened in Vegas that time…or this time?"

Kennedy nodded. "You're right. Sorry I even brought it up."

"It's okay honey," Willow smiled and patted her girlfriend on the thigh.

"How'd this even happen? With the spell I mean," Kennedy finally asked, looking over at the red head.

"I don't know!" Willow replied sullenly with a shrug as a way of explaining and dropping her head into her hands again.

"It's okay baby," Kennedy soothed as she rubbed Willow's back.

"I…I've just been so stressed out with everything that's happening lately I guess!" Willow exclaimed as she lifted her head. "I can feel all the slayers still out there that we haven't found yet and it's really draining, plus I'm the _only _one teaching the Wiccan classes on top of trying to help Giles get things set up with the new Council! I guess...I...I guess I just forgot to deactivate the spell," Willow finished with a pitiful sigh.

"You made a mistake okay? You have been wearing yourself a little thin baby, and even for a badass witchfu mama like yourself, it's a lot to take. So don't beat yourself up about it, no harm no foul right?"

"Tell that to my two-man slayer firing squad. By the way, where are those two anyway?" Willow asked nervously as she craned her neck to look into the sitting area. When only silence greeted her, she looked over at her girlfriend to see that she was deep in thought. She had to nudge her with an elbow to get her attention.

"Oh…sorry, did you say something?" Kennedy asked as she was pulled out of her stupor.

"Where are Buffy and Faith?"

"Well Faith is out on the balcony, probably wishing she hadn't quit smoking and Buffy is in the bathroom and seemes to have developed a sudden case of turrets syndrome," Kennedy informed her. "She yells out odd obscenities and bangs shit around every now and then," she added upon seeing the inquisitive look Willow was giving her.

Willow covered her face with her hands as she groaned again. "Its official, I'm going to die here in Vegas. They're going to cut my body up into little witchy pieces and bury the parts in the desert and…and with all the alcohol I've consumed it's going to vaporize from the dry heat and the pieces will never be found."

Kennedy laughed at her girlfriend's ridiculous statement. "Breathe baby," Kennedy told the distraught witch, "and I promise that's not happening, just go talk to them already. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"You keep saying that," Willow pouted.

"That's because it's true. Even if they are pissed with you they can't stay mad forever, right?" the young slayer reasoned.

"I'll talk to Buffy if you talk to Faith," Willow offered hopefully, not really wanting to be the one to smooth over any ruffled feathers of the former rogue slayer. She'd settle for Buffy, they had history. Friendly history, and although her and Faith were good friends now, and even with her own badass nature buried deep inside, Willow still had to concede that when angry, Faith still scared her.

"Why me?" Kennedy asked.

"B…because you're my girlfriend," Willow supplied lamely, "and…and we're a team?" She offered up next at the incredulous look she was getting.

Kennedy only shook her head and leaned in and placed a kiss on the red head's lips. "Fine," she said as she removed the tray that was in her lap and placed it on the cart that was by the bed. "But if I have to make apologies for something_ I _didn't do, you're gonna have to talk to Giles."

"G…Giles! Where? H…here?" Willow panicked and brought herself to a kneeling position on the bed. Even though she'd been teaching an entire class of WIT's the very spell that she and her friends had been under, Willow's concern wasn't that one of them had unintentionally, or in some instances intentionally cast a spell. All the students powers were restricted to the magic wing of the school and field assignments until graduation. So she knew that if things were going a little wonky back in Ohio, she was to blame. "You don't th…think something happened back in Cleveland do you? What if the entire city is on fire or something?"

"I hardly doubt we wouldn't know if the _entire_ city of Cleveland was on fire, silly. And no, I didn't mean he was here, I meant he's been calling on the phone." Kennedy leaned over and picked up Faith's cellphone that was laying on the nightstand and as if on cue the phone began to buzz in her hand. "See," and with that said, Kennedy flipped the phone open.

"No, no, no…" Willow shook her head frantically and watched in horror as her girlfriend hit the button on the phone to answer the call and then handed it to her. She sat there and looked at the phone as if it had a contagious disease while shaking her head vigorously.

"Deal's a deal babe," Kennedy told her with a smirk in place.

"But there was no deal…I didn't deal!" Willow whispered harshly.

"It'll be fine, here." Kennedy reached over and grabbed Willow's hand and placed the phone in it and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Really, it'll be okay." She got up and headed off but not before giving a fist pump and mocking 'go team!'

Willow only looked sullenly after her girlfriend, it wasn't until she heard a distant 'is anyone there?' that she was brought back to her current predicament. With a heavy sigh she brought the phone to her ear. "Hi Giles," she said in the most cheery tone she could muster.

* * *

"Whoa, nice view," Kennedy said as she stepped out onto the terrace and stared at the Vegas skyline. When all she got was a grunt in return, she spared a glance at the sitting slayer. "So what's with the dark and broody routine?"

"I'm not brooding," Faith responded with a scowl. When in fact it's exactly what she was doing. Since she'd stepped onto the terrace her mind had been reeling over the events of the past 24 hours, over the things that were done, and in particular the things that had been said. She had told Buffy she loved her, and more importantly, Buffy had said it back. Despite the circumstances, Faith couldn't help the overwhelming swell of emotions that washed over her and the crushing blow that followed at realizing that when Buffy had said it, it wasn't real.

"Right, cause you usually sit around with that subdued look on your face while wrecking the furniture?" Kennedy asked with a quirk of her brow. At Faith's puzzled look she diverted her eyes and motioned with her head to the arm of the chair Faith's hand was holding.

"Shit," the older brunette cursed as she looked down and took her hand away. Albeit small, there were finger impressions melded into the metal arm of the chair Faith had been tightly holding onto. She turned her hand over and stared at the red indention it had made. "Where's Buffy?" Faith asked as she quickly glanced up to Kennedy, while she flexed her hand a few times trying to get the blood back flowing properly.

"Same place you left her, doing what I suspect is her own rendition of a freak out."

"I'm not freaking out!" the older slayer exclaimed and was suddenly out of her seat pacing. Truth was, Faith was freaking out and she was angry. She was upset because in her mind, things with Buffy weren't going to be the same. She was convinced that with everything that had had happened, Buffy would distance herself and become just as unavailable to her as she had been back in Sunnydale and she didn't know if she would be able to stand it. "I'm just…shit, I'm just…."

"Freaking out?" Kennedy supplied helpfully with a smirk in place.

Faith stopped and turned to look at the younger slayer with an annoyed look. "Can we not do this?" Faith snapped at the younger brunette.

"Faith, all I'm saying is this isn't as bad as you're making it out to be. So what, you and Buffy got a little carried away? It's not a big deal."

"Fuck. Look, I don't want to talk about it okay?" she exclaimed hotly as she stood quickly and started to pace.

"Whoa, whoa…look Faith; we don't have to talk about it if you don't want too, just chill okay?" Kennedy told as she held her hands up in a placating manner.

"Chill?" Faith asked somewhat disbelievingly. "You want me to chill?"

"Yeah dude, just chill out," Kennedy told her with a nonchalant shrug and perched herself on the ledge of the balcony.

Faith flopped down in the chair and took a calming breath. She inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled it slowly through her mouth while her hands gingerly wrapped around the arms of the chair, careful this time not to distort it any further. She sat there for a few minutes and spared a look in Kennedy's direction. The young slayer sat wordlessly as and stared out over the balcony, seemingly not paying attention to the volcano about to erupt beside her.

"So where'd you guys score the passes for the Tao club?" Kennedy asked to break the silence that had fallen.

"Buffy picked them up last night," Faith offered, not wanting to reveal that they were part of the package Buffy had bought when she took stripping lessons. "Why?"

"It's supposed to be a jumping spot, thought maybe we could check it out before we leave. You know, have one last hoorah before we have to head back."

"Yeah, whatever," Faith replied noncommittally. And just like that, the two were back in silence.

After several silent minutes, the older slayer's leg began bouncing up and down and her fingertip drummed along the armrest as her agitation grew. She glanced at Kennedy again her patience wearing extremely thin. "And we didn't get carried away!"

"What?" Kennedy turned to glance at the agitated slayer.

"I said B and I didn't get carried away. You're probably think that we…you know," Faith said with a flustered look, "but we didn't."

"Thought you didn't want to talk about it?" Kennedy said with a smirk as she jumped down off the balcony and went and grabbed a chair, turning it around to sit on it backwards. She folded her arms over the back of the chair and looked expectantly at the brooding slayer.

"I don't!" Faith exclaimed once again and folded her arms across her chest and looked away.

"Fine," Kennedy held up her hands, "this is still me not talking about it." With a sly look, she got up and walked to the Jacuzzi that was placed in the center of the spacious deck. She whistled lowly as she took in the layout. "This is a pretty sweet setup you guys have here, it's a shame neither of you have the balls to put it to good use," Kennedy goaded.

Faith rolled her eyes at the cocksure brunette, knowing she was provoking her. "Okay look, it wasn't my fault that B didn't want to give up the goods alright. Trust me, I tried like a muthafucker, but she just wasn't budging. I mean you'd figure since we're under a spell that made us think we were in lo…whatever we were, and with all the emotional stuff to go with it, that I wouldn't have a problem with getting her in bed, right?"

"So even under the influence you can't seem to nail Buffy," Kennedy smirked and walked back over and took up her previous position of sitting backwards in the chair.

"Fuck you Ken, _I_ wasn't the problem."

"Well what exactly _was_ the problem, Faith?"

A frown creased Faith's brow as she thought back on the time's her and Buffy had fooled around and had been closed to being naked horizontally, vertically, and every other way Faith was going to attempt to have her. "I don't know," Faith shrugged, "she was all about wanting to wait."

Kennedy looked expectantly at Faith, wanting for her to finish, but when she didn't prompted, "Wait for what?"

"Until we were married," Faith answered with an air of acceptance, like what other explanation could there be. "And I was cool with it," she shrugged nonchalantly, "a little frustrated, yes, but I wasn't gonna push her. But I'm kinda glad we did wait. It would've been a fucked up sitch if we had've done it while under the spell. Like it would've been the only reason we fucked in the first place. Wouldn't have been real or anything."

Faith sighed as she remembered the moment when she and Buffy almost went all the way. She could never forget how turned on she had been and had gotten Buffy. The way Buffy's body felt under her palms and the way she tasted would be forever sketched into the brunette slayer's mind because to her it was more than real even though she knew that was as close as it was going to get for them.

"But she was into it though, hell we both were but she wanted to wait, so we waited ya know?" Faith finished as she brought herself back to reality.

Kennedy chuckled, "No, I really don't know. Luckily for me my honey isn't that big of a clit tease."

"Yeah well, it's because of your _honey_," the word dripped with sarcasm from Faith's tongue, "that we were in that situation."

"Oh c'mon Faith, it was an accident. Will's really sorry, so don't give her shit about it okay?"

"Right," Faith scoffed.

"No seriously," Kennedy defended, "you know she's been spreading herself real thin lately, she's not perfect and she screwed up and believe me, she feels horrible about it. I mean this is the second time she's done this to Buffy…"

"Yeah, B used to be engaged to…_Spike,"_ the blond vampire's name dripped from Faith's tongue like venom.

"What's the matter buddy?" Kennedy snickered at her friend's jealousy. "You mad because you weren't the first she was ready to jump on the betrothed wagon with?"

Faith rolled her eyes comically. "Oh whatever, it was another fucking spell dealt by your girlfriend, besides, I'd be a dumb and delusional to get pissed over something like that especially when B's had a lot of first that don't include me."

"Yeah? Well I'm sure there's one first she wouldn't mind letting you have a hand in. Literally." Kennedy finished the statement with an eyebrow wiggle, leaving no doubt in Faith's mind on what she was talking about.

Faith just stared at her friend while contemplating her sanity at the moment before she let out a rueful chuckle. "Yeah right, never gonna happen."

"C'mon Faith just tell her how you feel!" Kennedy exclaimed, tired of the "we're just friends" mantra they both were always on about. It was so blatantly obvious how much they _weren't_ just friends, but they both were too busy trying to protect a friendship that had long been mended and healed already.

"What?" Faith asked, feigning ignorance.

"You heard me. Just go in there and talk to her. Tell her you're in love with her for fucks sakes. Trust me on this one."

Faith jumped out of her chair at the statement. "I never said I was in love with her!" she exclaimed a little too loudly for her own liking and then glanced through the open doors to make sure their private conversation was still between the two of them.

"You're not denying it either," the younger slayer pointed out.

Faith blinked several times with a flustered look on her face. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as she willed herself to disclaim the notion that she was in love with Buffy, however, even in her head the words couldn't form so the younger girl continued.

"Look Faith, I've never seen anyone raise your pulse more than Buffy does. Whether it be because you're so turned on you want to fuck her brains out or because you're so mad you want to bash them in. And since the house isn't a war zone anymore, I know the two of you have worked out the fighting part so there's only one other option left."

Faith lifted a curious brow at the girl. "Okay, I'm deeply disturbed at how well you seem to be able to read me. Especially the fucking part. That's just creepy, no matter how close we are."

Kennedy rolled her eyes. "It doesn't take a brainiac to figure out that the two of you are into each other, all they have to do is be around you for five minutes and they peg you for a couple."

"Look K, B and I are friends…nothing more, nothing less." Faith tried to explain. "And you think B and I don't know what everyone thinks or says about us? Hell, some of the Juniors have even made bets about us."

"Yeah I have $50 bucks in one of those pools, so you need to get your ass in gear so I can win this thing."

Faith fixed Kennedy with a scowl. "See this is the shit I'm talking about. All of you bastards can't just mind your business. You all think there's something going on with me and B, but you couldn't be more wrong! We're. Just. Friends."

Kennedy heaved a frustrated sigh at her friend. "Level with me here Faith," from the expectant look she was getting, Kennedy continued, "When's the last time you got laid?"

"That's none of your goddamn business!" Faith countered hotly.

"Well you've never had a problem with sharing the details of your little conquests before, you always made it a point to let me know what and who you've been doing." Kennedy stated matter-of-factly while Faith rolled her eyes drastically at the point the bratty slayer was making. "But I'm going to take a guess and say it was months ago when Buffy pitched a fit over you spending so much time with Robin when he moved to Cleveland, wasn't it?" Kennedy looked expectantly, obviously not caring about the daggers the older slayer was shooting her way.

"If you have a point here, I seriously suggest you get to it," Faith told her through grinding teeth.

"Out of all your _friends _that noticed the guy actually gave a damn about you even though we knew you were just using him to satisfy your post slayage hornies, Buffy was the only one who took it personally when you weren't around as much," Kennedy explained, and upon seeing the older brunette's murderous glare with a shrug she added, "I'm just saying."

* * *

With a relieved sigh, Willow hung up the phone and flopped down on the bed with the mobile device clutched tightly in her hands. Initially, when she'd heard the hysterical ranting of the former watcher, it caused a panic to wash over her. It gave her more than enough paranoid reason to divulge all of the happenings of Sin City since they had arrived.

She knew that revealing their magical induced mishaps would ultimately have the finger pointing at her for whatever happened in Vegas, but she knew she would also have to take responsibility for any misdeeds that had gone on while they were away as well.

Deciding to go ahead and bite the proverbial bullet and tell all, the Wicca was thoroughly surprised to find out that the former watcher had actually been calling just to check in on the foursome. In all his father figure glory, he merely wanted to make sure that they had landed safely and were enjoying their time off. It seemed Giles was none to wiser about what was going on with his senior teaching staff.

After assuring Willow that things were carrying on as normal back in Cleveland and finally satisfied that one of the girl's had picked up one of his calls, a lecture on responsibility and accountability was given. Having made Willow promise to call before they boarded and were on their way back, Giles bid farewell and hoped that the rest of their trip was enjoyable.

Sitting up and placing the phone on the night stand, Willow sighed and wondered how things were coming along with her girlfriend and the dark slayer. Although, she could hear their raised voices filter through the living room area and into the spacious bedroom on a couple of occasions, she concluded that because there was no outright yelling or furniture and other various hotel items taking flight, that their talk was going well.

The red head wished she could be more optimistic when it came to the pending conversation she was about to have with her best friend. While she had been on the phone, she could hear the blonde slayer at times having a heated conversation with herself followed by a few choice words. Willow had a sneaking suspicion about who those words were meant for.

Willow made her way to the bathroom door and raised a shaky hand and knocked. After several long seconds and getting no answer, she knocked again this time announcing her presence as well. "Uh…Buffy, it's me." When Buffy still didn't answer, Willow sighed and waved her hand over the door and after hearing the audible click she slowly turned the knob and slightly pushed the door open.

"Bu…Buffy?" she called out and pushed the door open a little more and peeked inside. Not noticing the slayer in the area her view from the doorway afforded, Willow pushed the door fully opened and stepped inside.

"I um…I hope you're not doing anything toilet related in here cause that would be really weird and not to mention the ick factor involved. I…I mean not weird and icky to be doing those type things in a bathroom cause you know, duh, that's what bathrooms are for, bu…but that sort of weirdness that comes from walking in on someone when they're actually using it. P…plus, I did knock first and you didn't answer and I'm sure you would've if you were doing anything…you know, weird?" Willow shook her head at her own rambling, knowing that bathroom etiquette was the least of her worries right now.

She slowly walked a few paces towards where she could see the shower and when she crossed the threshold, she peeked around the wall and there she found her blonde friend sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Buffy was bent forward with her elbows on her knees and her chin resting in her palms as she gaze at some invisible point straight ahead.

The Wicca observed her friend for a few minutes and wondered if she was having some type of mental breakdown. "Buffy?" she called out to the silent slayer, hoping to break whatever trance she was in. Still the slayer sat motionless and silent. "It's me Willow…you…you know, your best friend. Your best pal. Your best bud. The one you don't want to kill because I'm really sorry."

This caused Buffy to break her aimless staring and turn her head and fix Willow with a glare. "That last part is still up for debate," the blonde slayer commented as she finally acknowledged that the red head was in the room.

Willow jumped slightly, the sudden sound of the blonde slayer's voice startling her. "I know, but um, just in case the debate is leaning more towards harming me rather than not, I vote for not."

Not commenting, Buffy turned her attention back to the wall in front of her and silence enveloped the longtime friends once again.

"I uh…I spoke to Giles before I came in here. He said that um, that everything was okay back in Cleveland. So that means Xander's safe from the demon world and Giles still has 40/40 vision," Willow said, trying to make light of the situation.

"Oh great, so it was only my life you managed to make more complicated again." Buffy threw her hands up in a dramatic manner. "Why do you keep doing this to me?" the blonde asked, causing Willow to look up in alarm. "Is my love life really that pathetic that you have to make one up for me?"

Hearing a defeated tone to the blonde's voice, Willow rushed to her side and took up residence next to her. "Oh Buffy, I'm really _really_ sorry. You have to know I never meant for this to happen again. I screwed up, I know I did. I…I guess I was just so wrapped up in the finally getting to take a break that I lost focus on what I was doing and never released the spell after class."

Willow looked over at the sullen blonde who had gone back to her current position of staring straight ahead. "And just for the record…I don't think your love life is pathetic," she told her friend, which caused the blonde to scoff in disbelieving amusement. "It's not!" The redhead tried to reassure, albeit unconvincingly, "Okay, so maybe it's a little…stagnant, but not pathetic!"

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," the slayer pouted.

"Is it working?" Willow asked sheepishly causing the blonde to pout even more. "Sorry Buff."

"It's okay Will," Buffy said with a deep sigh, "You're not responsible for my unintended detour into celibacy land."

Willow chuckled. "Well look at it this way, at least it was someone you actually like who steered you back in the right direction, granted it was an um…different road for you to take, but still it can't hurt that it was Faith, right?" Willow reasoned.

Buffy rolled her eyes and stood. "Right, cause Faith is the ideal person to get thrown in this situation with."

Willow watched her friend as she began to pace a little. "Well, you're taking all this really well. I thought for sure you'd be freaking out wi…with the yelling and…and trying to find somewhere to hide my body. In fact why are you taking this so well?" Willow frowned slightly, she found Buffy's calmness scarier than if she was throwing a tantrum. She'd never known her friend to treat sex so casually, and she was sure the whole sex with a girl thing would have certainly freaked the blonde slayer out beyond belief, even if it was with the object of her affection.

"Oh trust me, I freaked. Big time. If my running off to hide in here wasn't any indication of that, then I really need to practice my storming off," Buffy stated before throwing up her hands again. "I have to see her every day for Christ sakes. Faith and I live together Will, we work together; we're practically on top of each other every single day!" Buffy eyed the smirk that Willow was now sporting at her last statement and her eyes went wide and a blush crept over her neck once she realized what she said. "Tha…that's not what I meant," she said in way of an explanation.

"It's okay, I think I get what you're saying Buffy, and it's true, you guys are inseparable and actually get along great now, but that still doesn't explain why you're not freaking out about this. I…I mean I know when you were under the spell it may have seemed normal with you guys thinking you were a couple and all, b…but now that the spell is over I think…or I just thought that, that you'd be freaking out about having sex with Faith and you're not." Willow's rambling was cut short at the horrified look on Buffy's face. "What?"

"We didn't have sex!" Buffy yelled as she whipped around to face the Wicca. "Oh my God Will! There was no sex had! Why do you think we had sex? Did she say that? Because we didn't! S...sure we, we um, fooled around….a lot." Buffy looked away when she said that last and felt her face turn red hot as she thought back to the instance when she had come hard from when she and Faith had _practically_ had sex. Even thinking about it now was turning her on far too much to be shut away in a bathroom with her best friend, "but we didn't have sex!" She clarified once again, more to convince herself than Willow.

Willow eyes widened at her friends tone. Although it was the reaction she'd expected when she first entered the room, having not gotten it and now with having Buffy go from one extreme to the next had startled the red head. "No! She didn't say anything. I haven't even seen Faith, Kennedy is the one doing damage control on that end."

"Oh. So you don't know if she was weirded out by all of this either then?" Buffy asked, wanting to have some kind of take on the brunette's reaction.

"Well after you ran off, so did she then I kind of, uh, kind of passed out," Willow said sheepishly. Buffy only nodded and took up her previous seat next to the red head. After several minute of silence Willow couldn't help have her curiosity piqued about something Buffy had said and she began to fiddle with her hands and began to blush.

"What is it Will?" Buffy asked, she could see Willow moving from the corner of her eye for the past few minutes so she knew there was something on her mind.

"Oh!" Willow jumped slightly and her blush was starting to match the color of her hair. "I was just um….wondering."

"About what?

"Well okay…you _didn't_ have sex which explains why I have all of my body parts," she said relieved. "But you said that you guys fooled around," this made Buffy quickly turn her gaze away from her best friend and the blush that was slowly fading, had slowly started creeping its way back up to her face, "so I was just wondering, if um…well, how was it? Like, did you enjoy it?"

"Will," Buffy groaned as she hid her face in her hands.

"Oh…it…it's okay if you did Buffy, I mean it's a perfectly natural reaction, unless of course you didn't enjoy it." Willow said as she looked expectantly at her friend. "So?" she asked again.

Buffy removed her hands and sighed. "Okay so I didn't hate it," she finally said and stood up, "I mean it was kind of nice."

"Kind of nice?" Willow looked skeptical.

"Okay so it was hot!" Buffy said as she threw her hands up in a dramatic fashion. "She's a really _really_ good kisser and she does this thing with her tongue…," Buffy trailed off as her mind once again flashed to the moment when Faith had _practically_ gone down on her but quickly came to her senses at hearing the snickering witch. "Uh…never mind," she quickly dismissed.

"Right," Willow told her with a huge grin. "So this is good right? You not having sex with Faith and only some harmless making out? It's a good thing and it means I get to keep living."

Instead of answering with a firm "yes, this is a good thing", like Willow expected, Buffy actually took a few seconds to think about it.

The time she'd spent with the sexy brunette kept replaying in her mind and Buffy felt herself getting more turned on. She wondered if almost having sex with Faith felt that good, how exactly would it have felt to go all the way. "Uh, yeah sure," she said in a tone that held no conviction and nodded. "It's definitely of the good."

Willow smiled knowingly, but decided not to press her friend any further with sexy details of her 24 hours spent with the dark slayer, so decided to move on. "So if you didn't have sex with Faith then everything should be fine between you two, right?" After the blonde didn't answer Willow watched the thoughtful slayer frown as if she was still working out in her head whether or not she really believed it was a good thing or not. "Buffy?"

Buffy shook her head, trying to clear away the thoughts. "Huh?"

"With Faith…everything should be okay with you guys, right?"

Buffy's desire soon morphed into horror as she thought of the brunette's reaction. She didn't think Faith would exactly freak out over there time together, however, she did think that the whole encounter would be added to the brunette's arsenal for teasing her.

"Wrong! I already know how she's going to be about it. She'll tease me relentlessly over this." Buffy dropped her head into her hands again. She thought back to when she'd stripped for Faith, and what seemed like half the population of Las Vegas. Buffy groaned, she knew the brunette slayer would never let her live that down. "God I can see it now." Buffy lifted her head and proceeded to give her best imitation of the Boston native.

"'Hey B, I always knew you wanted my hot bod', Or…or… 'Hey B, how about rating them mad skills I been telling you bout, just remember the scale starts at 10 which means great and gets higher from there all the way to fucking great, 'C'mere girlfriend and give us a kiss' you know you want too.' 'Come on B, my lap is cold so come put that hot little ass of yours on it.'" Buffy was on a roll, but now the amused smirk was being given from the redhead so she snapped her mouth shut and sat back down and felt the ever presence blush make an appearance again. "Okay, so maybe that was a little TMI."

"Just a little," Willow said as she held up her thumb and forefinger in a measuring gesture to emphasis her point.

"So yeah, I do wish it were someone else other than her because that's just some of the relentless teasing I'm going to be subjected too because trust me, she gets worse," Buffy whined and the patent pout made an appearance.

"So what you're saying is," Willow paused for effect and looked mindful as if she was really thinking something over. "You're saying that Faith is going to flirt with you, and make inappropriate sexual comments and praise her hotness, am I right?"

"Yes!" Buffy exclaimed, knowing that her best friend would understand.

"Soooo….she's going to pretty much going to act as she does on a daily basis and do and say all the stuff that you like and make you lovesick and giggle like a schoolgirl on crack and then you go all," Willow adapted her Buffy voice, "'Oh stop Faith,' or…'Oh Faith, whatever', or the one thing you knows gets her every time even though she tells you she hates it. It's the Buffy classic, "_Faithy_," Willow mocked in a whining tone and gave her best Buffy pout and puppy dog eyes, batting them for extra effect.

Buffy's mouth was opened in shocked horror at the display. "I _do not_ do that!" she told Willow and made an attempt to slap the girl's arm for still making fun of her.

Willow only laughed and avoided the slayer smack she was about to get, "You really do Buffy, but I think it's kind of cute that every time you do, the big bad slayer falls for it every single time. Even when she's resisting she ends up falling for the pout and gives in to whatever you want."

Buffy sat back down with the pout still in place, but now her arms were folded across her chest and as she looked at Willow.

"Ha! There it is!" Willow exclaimed with a laugh as she pointed to Buffy's face. "Oh no you don't…don't you point that thing at me. That move only works on your whipped slayer."

Buffy's eyes widen again at hearing Willow refer to Faith as _hers_ and _whipped_. She had to admit, even if only to herself, that hearing it made her feel a little giddy even if it wasn't true. Hiding the smirk that tugged at the lips, Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Oh yeah, laugh it up Will, you know Faith would kill you if she heard you call her whipped."

"Probably, but I bet she couldn't deny it, and neither are you." Willow stuck her tongue out at the appalled slayer. "Oh c'mon Buffy, you know it's true. You're the reason she choose to come to Ohio with us."

Buffy shook her head. "No Will, Faith didn't come to Cleveland for me. I didn't even ask her too, she could've gone everywhere in the world, but…but…"

"Exactly Buffy, you didn't ask her. Angel's firm gave her an opportunity at a fresh start to anywhere, but she chose to stay with you."

Buffy looked thoughtful for a moment, she'd always assume Faith picked Cleveland because of a lack of other places to go. From what she knew of the brunette, there wasn't much family Faith had to go back too and the ones she had, simply wasn't an option for her. However, no matter how the decision was made for Faith, Buffy was pleased when she found out that the former rogue slayer would be traveling with the crew to Cleveland.

"Faith adores you Buffy," Willow's verbal rambling brought Buffy out of her internal one at the statement, "and you can't deny that you have strong feelings for her too. Even before the spell…way before the spell if you're not in denial about it."

"I'm not in denial about anything, Will!" Buffy exclaimed and threw up her hands. "We've grown into caring about each other so of course I have feelings for Faith, I can admit that," the blonde said easily. "_Friendly_ feelings," she added, feeling the need to clarify.

"Well at least this is a change from the last time this happened. You have to at least be glad that it wasn't with Spike this time around."

Buffy laughed mirthlessly as she stopped pacing, "Trust me Will, I'd rather it be with Spike again rather than her. At least then I could go back to being repulsed afterwards and never have to see him again instead of having him constantly around." Buffy sat back down with a grieved sigh.

"You don't really mean that do you?" Willow asked worriedly.

"Of course I do!" Buffy threw her hands up. "At least with Spike, when it was over I didn't feel like I was still under your stupid spell!"

"But Buffy…," Willow had to stop herself as the words her friend just said sunk into her brain. "Whoa….wait, Buffy are you saying you still feel like you're in love with Faith?"

"Yes!" Buffy frowned slightly as she thought about what she was saying then shook her head. "Wait...what? No! I mean no!" Buffy shouted, even though she felt a conflict of emotions when she verbally denied the fact.

"Which is it…yes, or no Buffy?"

"It's…it's obvious that your spell has some side effects that just take a while to wear off, right?" Buffy tried to reason, but Willow only shook her head in the negative. "Well you need to do your infection thing again then because obviously it didn't work the first time."

Willow smiled. "You mean the incantation?"

"Yeah that too. Just whatever it is you do to undo, so yeah, disinfect and discant me!" Buffy stated on the verge of panicking.

"Buffy neither of us is under a spell anymore and there are no side effects to it. Once the spell is broken things just go back to normal," Willow explained. "It's just like before, when the spell is over you go back to feeling the same. So that likely means if you still feel that way, you probably always have."

Buffy blinked several times, trying to process what her friend has just told her. She shook her head in an effort to dismiss the idea that she was in love with Faith, that she had been in love with her even before the spell had been cast. "This…this doesn't make any sense. It was the spell, it…it _made_ me feel these things. It doesn't make them real!" Buffy stated as she desperately turned to the red head hoping she'd agree.

Willow only shook her head. "The spell doesn't make you feel anything Buffy. I mean yes, it puts you under the impression that you have all these feelings, but it doesn't actually change your emotional state," Willow explained.

"Like before with Spike, even though there was some part of your brain telling you that you wanted to marry him, you were still conscious of the fact that you didn't truly love him and that what was happening made no sense. It was the spell rationalizing it for you and as soon as it was over you went back to only wanting to hurt him."

Buffy shook her head vigorously. "But don't you see Will, it's the same! All the things I said when under the spell were to rationalize what was happening with Faith and I, just like before…you even said it yourself!"

"Yes, but the only difference is, with Spike you had to rationalize it even to yourself why you wanted to be with him and with Faith you just knew without question that you did. The things that the two of you said to each even if you were under a spell, it had to come from somewhere."

Buffy sighed heavily and sat back down next to the Wicca defeated. "What am I going to do Willow? I can't be in love with Faith."

"Why not?"

"Because we're friends Will," Buffy supplied lamely.

Willow waited for more and when no other explanation came she spoke, "Buffy, we've been friends for a long time now, and I can certainly say that you and Faith? Definitely not just friends. So unless you're going to start dry humping me on the dance floor or letting me eat off of your plate during meals or let me share your bed sometimes, you can definitely strike Faith from the just friend's column because even if the two of you are unaware of it, it definitely looks like a relationship. Just without the nakedness."

"Okay, I get it…we act like more than friends, but that just means we're really..._friendly_?"

"Buffy, you got mad when Robin moved to Cleveland and him and Faith started…seeing each other regularly." The red head gave a more nongraphic explanation. "And I don't know how you did it, but I do know she started blowing him off soon after."

"What makes you think I'm the reason she stopped seeing him? Maybe she was just tired of him? You know what she's, 'get some, get gone'." Buffy made an attempt to defend herself.

Willow only chuckled lightly. "I think the both of us know Faith hasn't been that person since the two of you started getting close."

Buffy only sighed again and dropped her head in her hands. "How on earth did this happen? How did I not see this coming?"

Willow rubbed the blonde slayers back soothingly, wanting to relay that what she was feeling was okay. "You don't step into love Buffy; you fall…head over heels. And I've seen you do just that, with Faith. You guys have grown so much together that it's hard to see where one of you begins and where the other ends. You've become inseparable and I for one think it's sweet. You've always fought so hard to find love, always looking in places you knew it never existed. But with Faith, you never had to look, it just happened when you weren't expecting it. You both just needed to give each other a real chance at making each other happy and you've done that. Now your heart is telling you it's time to move on to something more."

Buffy looked up at her friend with tears streaming from her eyes. "When'd you get so good with the big speeches?"

Willow grinned. "Guess I've been hanging around you too long."

Buffy shared a laugh with Willow before she got up and headed to the sink to wash her face. When she was done she turned towards her friend. "Thanks Will." The red head gave a small smile and nod in return. "So now what?"

Willow shrugged slightly. "Well, I guess that just depends on the million dollar questions…are you in love with her, Buffy?"

The question rolled around in Buffy's mind as she thought about the girl in question. Her heart filled itself with emotion and her heart rate increased when an image of Faith entered her mind. She realized it always did that whenever she thought about her, or when she was with her, which Buffy concluded was pretty much all the time. Buffy knew that she loved spending time with Faith and when she didn't, she felt lonely and missed her considerably, it's why she made it a point to have the brunette around or make an excuse to be around her at all times. However, was it actually love that she was feeling for her the other girl? More importantly though, did Faith feel the same way?

Buffy looked at Willow as her question stuck in her mind. Did she love Faith? "Will, I…I can't say that I'm not. What does that mean?"

Willow looked sympathetically at the confused slayer. "It means you and Faith need to talk, Buffy."


	13. Chapter 12

**AN: Suggested listening for the club scene: "Hello" (club mix) by Martin Solveig and Dragonette and "Bahm Bahm (Do It Once Again)" by Keri Hilson **

**Chapter 12**

* * *

The club was packed and the music was loud as the brunette slayer tried her best to keep an eye on the blonde one that was so determined to get lost in the crowd. Not wanting anyone to know her gaze was fixated on only one partygoer, Faith had donned her aviator Ray Bans to the club. They were fashionable, and they looked damned good on her, plus it afforded her with the option of inconspicuously spying on her target.

The blonde's outfit alone was enough to allow Faith to fill an Olympic sized pool with the amount of drool she was producing. It was a white mini dress that only went inches below her hips, with a draped front that had a single strap lacing around her neck to hold the fabric up and exposing her slender shoulders. The drape dipped just above the blonde's belly button, showing off the beginning of her toned abs and her modest chest. Paired with the dress were matching heels. Her blonde hair was slightly wavy as it fell loosely over her shoulders. Faith knew trying to ward off potential mates was going to be a feat. Luckily for her though, Buffy had quickly dismissed all advances since they'd been there.

Earlier, after her conversation with Kennedy, Faith had decided that she would attempt to sort out things with Buffy. After the whole spell deal, even though her first instinct had been to tease the other slayer to hide her own discomfort, looking back on it now, she figured it may not have been the best course of action.

Faith figured it was time she put her grown up hat on, and have a real conversation with Buffy. One that didn't involve the subtle flirting or teasing that they'd fallen into over the course of the year. This conversation was to be the one of all conversations.

It was the one that could either keep them in their "just friends" stage, or pull them closer to something more. Either way, Faith knew she didn't want things be awkward, or worse, push them apart. Even though once they really gave it a shot, they both fell easily into trusting and caring about each other, it was still hard work to get them to the point where they were now to have it all fall apart because of repressed feelings, mutual or not.

Kennedy had put it in her head that if she just came out and told Buffy just how she felt, that she couldn't go wrong. So after much debate, with her nerve built up and her confidence pretty high. After they'd discussed their plans for the night, Faith had strutted into the room, hell bent on telling Buffy she was the one.

However, somewhere along the way, something went wrong and by the time Buffy and Willow emerged; Faith was nowhere to be found. Kennedy had assured a freaked out Buffy that Faith hadn't ran out on her and was ready to talk to her about what could be possibly going on between them. This little tidbit of news had made Buffy hopeful that before the night was through, she and Faith would be closer than they had been when the trip started.

Her hope began to fade as time ticked on and Faith had finally shown back into the suite, but only just in for her to grab a quick shower and get ready before Willow and Kennedy had shown up and they all headed out.

In the limo, Buffy had made attempts to flirt and find every opportunity she could to touch Faith. Faith however, had brushed it all off in an attempt to ignore the clingy blonde and sat in her seat while staring out of the window, only giving one word answers or a grunt in reply to anything that was being asked.

By the time they'd arrived at the club Buffy was in full pout mode, and Faith excused herself to the bar. That was over an hour ago. Within that time, Faith had managed to disappear and stay out of sight and now, while Buffy was out on the dance floor with Willow and Kennedy after having had her fourth Appletini. It was fruity and tasted good enough to mask the alcohol that was sneaking its way through her light weight veins. It also afforded her with the ability to forget Faith was being a complete tool and have a good time despite how much she missed the other slayer.

As the threesome made their way back to their table and sat down, Willow spotted Faith at the bar and gave Kennedy and knowing look. The younger girl rolled her eyes, "Guess this round is on me," she announced loud enough to be heard over the music as she stood.

"Ooh, I'll take another of these," Buffy held up her empty glass and frowning slightly at the emptiness. "It's the green apple thing that looks all neon and glowy with the pretty club lights and says 'drink me,'" Buffy said with a smile as she gave her drink order.

"So your alcohol talks to you now?" Kennedy asked with an amused grin.

"Only when I talk first," Buffy's smile grew wider.

Kennedy only shook her head at the inebriated blonde and leaned down to speak into Willow's ear, "I really hope she isn't serious"

Willow only smiled as she looked to her best friend then up at her girlfriend, "I'm afraid she is."

"Maybe I should just get her one of what you're drinking," Kennedy motioned to Willow's clear glass of water. Obviously, the redhead had had her share of alcohol for the remainder of their stay and wasn't even going to attempt trying not to look lame with a virgin drink.

"No! I want glow!" Buffy yelled, her slayer hearing still in working order. "Ooh, rhymey." She grinned again.

"Are you sure you didn't just reverse the spells and now she's the drunk one? And I don't have to worry about going out and getting you a ring or anything do I, because I'm already pushing my limit on my credit with that luggage I bought her yesterday."

Willow only chuckled, "No sweetie, no more spells and look at it this way, at least she's not all 10,000 B.C. girl instead."

"Right, I'll be back." Kennedy said as she leaned in and kissed her girlfriend and made her way towards the bar.

Seeing the younger slayer approach, Faith swiveled around on her stool and downed the shot that was in front of her and attempted to get the bartenders attention for another.

"So dark and broody act part 2 is in full effect I see," Kennedy ribbed as she sidled up beside Faith and leaned over the bar in an attempt to get the bartender's attention as well. When he finally spotted the two attractive brunettes, he made his way over. "Corona Extra with a lime wedge, an Appletini." Kennedy ordered, then the bartender looked to Faith.

"A refill on both," she told the man and downed the rest of her Jack and Coke. With a nod he quickly reached for the bottle of tequila and filled Faith's shot glass and turned to work on their orders.

"So what's the what, Faith? Why the disappearing act?" Kennedy asked looking over to the brooding slayer.

"Don't know what you're talking 'bout Junior, I've been here all night." Faith reached for her shot, downed it and placed the glass back on the bar.

"Well I'm not just talking about the here and now; I'm talking about earlier as well."

"Changed my mind," Faith shrugged, "a girl's entitled."

"That's bullshit Faith and you know it," Kennedy told her as she turned and leaned back against the bar.

"Look K, don't start alright? I said I changed my mind. Me and B are better off as friends, no point in complicating things by trying to make it into something that it's not okay?"

"Okay, so you don't want to ruin your friendship, whatever, I'm down with that even though we all know its bullshit. What I don't get is why you've been acting like a complete asshole since we left and why you're over here posted up at the bar and not tearing this place up with your friends in the hottest nightclub in Vegas."

"Maybe you guys are cramping my style and I wanted to go solo tonight," Faith stated and took a healthy sip of her drink as the bartender placed it in front of her, then pulled out her wallet and placed some bills on the bar and tucked it away.

"And you're full of shit," Kennedy chuckled and looked in the direction of where her table was before she turned and paid for the drinks she'd ordered. "But I'm glad Buffy's not letting your bad mood ruin all her fun too. I'd hate to have to deal with two brooding slayers tonight."

Faith turned her head to look at Kennedy, "I'm not in a mood," she bristled. "And even if I were, it shouldn't affect anything B does. It's not like we're dating or anything, she can do whatever the fuck she wants," she said with a sneer.

Kennedy nodded condescendingly as she picked up the drinks and turned back around. "So I guess it's okay if she's having a good time right now on the dance floor with someone that isn't you?"

"What?" Faith brows furrowed as she quickly turned around in her chair, pushed her sunglasses up to rest on her head and followed Kennedy's line of sight. There was Buffy, amongst the throng of bodies on the dance floor with some guy, looking for all intents and purposes, like they were trying to have sex standing up.

Faith's jaw clenched as she grinded her teeth together and she stood. She turned her head and narrowed her eyes at Kennedy, as if it was the younger girl's fault that in the few minutes she'd taken her attention away from Buffy, it allowed her to be snatched up by some douche bag.

Turning back to the bar she grabbed her drink and downed it in one gulp, slamming the glass back on the bar. She turned and glared at Kennedy and pointed, "Not one fucking word," she told the girl as she stalked off in the direction of the dancing slayer. Her dancing slayer.

Faith pushed through the crowd with her eyes trained on the blonde dancing with abandon to the electro pop beat. As she got closer, she could see the guy she was dancing with his hands alternating from traveling over the blonde slayer's hips and sliding across her waist as he pulled her closer. Her blood began to boil and she could feel her heart rate pulsing with the thud of the music.

As she approached the pair, the song came to a decrescendo. Buffy's back was to her and her arms were lazily draped over the guys' shoulders as she slowly moved against him. Faith grabbed onto the blonde's hips and pulled her back against her front. She briefly regarded the man and glanced at him over Buffy's head before dropping her head to bury her face into the crook of Buffy's neck and inhaled deeply, breathing in the intoxicating scent of the blonde slayer.

The action caused Buffy to remove her arms from around the man's neck and with a smirk; her hands covered the ones that were on her hips. Even in her alcohol induced haze, she instantly knew who was not holding onto her. Not only did her slayer senses pick up the unmistakable scent that was purely Faith, but her body instantly recognized the possessive, strong touch as well.

Buffy turned her head slightly, resting it against Faith's, her eyes closing as she swayed with the dark slayer. "So it takes an appearance of the green-eyed monster to get your attention now?" Even as the music blared Faith's slayer hearing was able to pick up Buffy's question.

Faith grinned, "C'mon B," her lips brushed across Buffy's neck with as she spoke, causing the blonde to shiver. "You're still wearing my ring, so that kinda makes you still mine." Her left hand slide from under Buffy's to move on top of it and ran her fingers over the ring.

It was Buffy's turn to move her hand as she turned her head to glance down at the sparkling diamond still donning her finger. "It went with my outfit," she pouted as she turned her head slightly to gaze up into amused brown orbs.

"I don't think there was much of anything that wouldn't have gone with this outfit B," Faith chuckled again and she wrapped her arms around Buffy and leaned slightly over to peek down the drape of her dress.

"So you did notice," Buffy smiled and turned her head back towards the brunette, their lips inches apart.

"How could I not," Faith leaned closer, her lips softly brushing against Buffy's parted lips. It was then that she felt hands grabbing onto her hips and a body brushing against her arms that were around Buffy. Her haze was broken and she noticed the tempo of music had speeded back up as she looked up to see the guy that Buffy had been dancing with lustfully staring and moving his body to the beat.

Faith growled and lifted an arm and extended it to roughly push the guy away. "Set your standards a little lower dude, you're aiming way to high with this one." She raised her voice to a level she was sure the man would hear.

He frowned slightly and rubbed his chest where Faith had pushed him and then he held his hands up in a 'what the fuck' manner. "But she's..."

"Not interested," Faith finished for him and shot him a look that clearly said she wasn't fucking around.

The man looked to Buffy for support, but the blonde only smiled coyly and shrugged slightly as she held tighter onto the arm that Faith still had wrapped around her. Without another word other than grumbling that could not be heard, the guy thankfully walked away without incident.

As the song came to an end, another quickly started up and this time it was a sexy reggae beat that thundered through the club. Buffy turned completely in Faith's arms and draped her arms around her neck as she sensually moved against the brunette to the rhythm.

Faith's hands immediately found Buffy's hips, and the length of Buffy's dress made it easy for Faith to slip a leather clad thigh between the blonde's legs as she matched the pace that was set as their fronts grinded together.

Buffy's bottom lip found itself wedged between her lips at the friction Faith was causing against her. Her hands moved slowly up over Faith's shoulders and up to her neck before burying themselves into her thick, wavy locks to pull her head closer to bury against into her neck. Buffy's lips fell open in a gasp as she felt Faith's tongue slick over her heated flesh.

Faith held tightly onto Buffy's hips as she looked down between them and watching Buffy's grinding motion. Looking back up to the blonde's face, she brought a hand up and slid it over Buffy's neck and down her bare shoulder.

With one arm loose at her side, Buffy rode the brunette's thigh to the beat, before she found the strength to push away and move a few paces away. With her back to Faith, Buffy's hip swung loosely, moving around in a circular motion to the rhythm. Her hands slid up her body and found its way through her hair, pulling it up off her neck and letting it fall. She could feel the brunette's eyes on her with every move she made. It was if they were the only ones on the floor.

Buffy turned slightly to find Faith watching every move she made. A half smile crossed her lips as she beckoned for the mesmerized slayer and Faith immediately fell in behind her and ran her hands along Buffy's arms as she danced against her. Buffy lifted her arms up behind her, attaching her hands back into Faith's dark hair, while Faith hands once again latched onto gyrating hips and grinded against the swaying backside.

"Well looks like they've made up," Willow observed from her seat as she peered out onto the dance floor.

Taking a sip of her beer, Kennedy nodded. "Yeah, if they make up any more, we're going to need to put a mattress on the floor for them."

Willow looked around the crowded dance floor and took in some of the people openly gawking at the dancing slayers, while others followed suit and danced provocatively alongside the oblivious pair. She was broken out her stare as she heard her girlfriend sputtering next to her. She looked over to the stunned slayer and quickly began to pat against her back. "Are you okay, sweetie? What's wrong?"

Kennedy's eyes had widened slightly, partly from the swig of beer that had decided to strangle her and partly from the couple she noticed walking their way.

With a frown, Willow turned her head in the direction her girlfriend had been looking in and her eyes widened slightly as well at the approaching pair.

"Can't you do like a disappearing spell or something?" Kennedy leaned over and whispered.

"We're in a room full of people, plus they've spotted us already and going 'poof' right not would definitely be full of badness." Willow explained away the idea.

"They've all been drinking; they can blame it on the alcohol." The brunette countered. Upon Willow's brisk shake of her head, she quickly stood as the couple walked up to their table.

"Hey you two, glad you guys could make it, Buffy wasn't sure if you were," Erin said with sexy grin as she took the offered seat Steve had pulled out for her, uninvitingly, and then took the one next to her.

"Y...you gave Buffy the tickets?" Willow asked and looked over to her girlfriend to find her gawking at the other red head's ample cleavage that was once again on full display. She elbowed her and gave her warning glare when she finally tore her gaze away.

"Boy would you look at the time honey," Kennedy looked at the imaginary watch on her wrist. "I think it's time we headed back." She said disregarding any other conversation that was started and she quickly stood and pulled a more than obliging Willow up with her.

"Hey don't tell me you guys are leaving already," Steve said disappointedly with his arm draped around his wife as he watched the couple stand.

"Uh...yeah, it's been a really long night already," Kennedy started.

"The longest," Willow added with a sympathetic nod.

"And um, we have to catch an early flight back home tomorrow."

"The earliest," Willow chimed in again.

"Oh c'mon you can always sleep on the flight back...stay, let me buy you guys a drink." Steve interjected.

"No!" Willow and Kennedy both yelled and then looked to each other sheepishly and causing the other couple to look curiously at each other.

"Well sorry to hear that, you two just disappeared on us this morning, we were hoping to have a little more fun when we noticed you were here." Erin added with a flirtatious tone.

"Uh well...yeah, I think we've had enough fun to last a lifetime. So much fun we probably won't even remember it all." Kennedy turned to glance at the Wicca knowingly.

"Well what about your friends, they don't look like they're ready to leave just yet?" Steve asked as he looked out at the slayers dancing provocatively on the dance floor.

"Trust me; I don't think they'll even know we're gone." Kennedy said as she grabbed Willow's hand and headed towards the exit, leaving the confused couple behind.

After the song had ended, Buffy had managed to tear herself from Faith's roaming hands and excused herself to go to the bathroom. Before she'd walked off, she had told Faith she would meet her back at the bar shortly.

That was ten minutes ago.

Faith had waited at the bar all of five minutes before she made her way to the bathroom as well. She hung back and watched as the blonde finally made her way to the front of the line and entered the bathroom. There was much protesting as the dark slayer waded her way to the front and entered in behind Buffy.

As Buffy entered the stall, she let out a loud squeal as she felt herself being forcefully push inside. With her slayer reflexes shot to hell with the amount of alcohol that was coursing through her veins, she swung sloppily at her assailant and found herself pushed up against the wall of the stall.

"Damn B, good thing I wasn't a vamp...you'd be dinner by now girlfriend."

"Faith!" Buffy yelped. "What are you doing in here?"

"What do you think?" Faith smirked and reached up to grab the top of the stall door to close it and then locked it. She then moved to press her body flush against Buffy's, pushing her back against the bathroom wall and let her hands travel down over the fabric of the blonde's hip. "Have I mentioned how wicked sexy you look tonight?"

Buffy's hands slid up over Faith's arms and hooked them around her neck. "Hmmm," she looked thoughtful as she seemed to be thinking over the question. She opened her mouth to deliver what was sure to a witty reply and found her retort cut off by Faith's probing tongue.

Without protest, Buffy eagerly accepted it and gave hers back full force as the two slayers tried to devour each other. Faith's hands slid under the short dress and around to the back of Buffy's thighs as she pressed harder into her.

Faith moaned into Buffy's mouth as her hands slid up to grab the bare flesh Buffy's thong afforded her with. When Buffy brought a leg up to wrap around Faith's waist, Faith slid a hand down between her cheeks and back up to squeeze the supple flesh. She repeated the action several times, growing bolder each time until her fingers came in contact with Buffy's wetness.

Buffy gasped as she felt Faith's fingers eagerly venturing against folds from behind. She brought her hands down to push against Faith's shoulder and pushed her away. Both girls were breathing heavily as their backs were pressed against opposites sides of the walls while they stared at each other hungrily.

"We...we, can't...we can't do this," Buffy panted between breaths.

Faith pushed herself off the wall and pressed herself against the enticing body again, ignoring the protest. She ducked her head and ran her tongue along Buffy's collarbone causing Buffy to moan again and tilted her head back as her hands found their way back into Faith's hair.

This further encouraged the brunette slayer and she trailed her tongue along the salty flesh to Buffy's pulse point and sucked on it greedily. Her hands once again found Buffy's body and they travelled up over the blonde's hips to her waist. Wrapping her arms around Buffy, Faith duck her head to rain kisses down the slender neck, licking and nipping as she went. Her hands moved again and they came up to cup each of Buffy's breast as her head traveled down between the front of the drape.

Buffy's head was swimming, not only from the alcohol but from the talented tongue that was traveling along her skin. She threw her head back against the wall, which proved to be a little too hard for her liking and this brought her out of her lust filled hazed. "Ow!" She pouted as she brought a hand up to rub the back of her head.

Faith halted her descent and looked up to see the girl in all her adorable pouty glory. She couldn't help but chuckled at the cuteness of it and place a gentle kiss on the pouty lips. "You okay Princess?" She asked as she brought a hand up to rub the back of the blonde's head.

"No," Buffy continued to pout. "I think I have a concussion."

Faith laughed, "You've been hit in the head a lot harder than that B, I doubt that little knock on your noggin is gonna cause any real cerebral damage."

"Yeah well it could. Which just further proves that we can't do it in here." Buffy pointed out.

"Trust me B, this isn't the worse we could do," Faith said with a smirk.

"Well I still have to pee." Buffy noted.

"I'm into water sports," Faith countered with a dimpled grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Okay smartass, since you want to go tit for tat. For one, it's too small in here," Buffy said as she looked around the stall. "And for another, it's a bathroom. All kinds of ick factors to think about here. And most importantly?"

Faith quirked a brow at what she assumed was a rhetorical question. Buffy grinned as she pushed Faith against the opposite wall to press her body against her and leaned up and placed a hot, opened mouth kiss to Faith's lips. When she pulled back, the kiss had left the brunette breathless and her mouth gaping.

"Most importantly Faith, is that you still can't fuck me until you marry me," Buffy grinned as she pulled completely away from the brunette. She yanked the stall door open, and pushed Faith out. "Now go wait at the bar like a good little slayer and get me a drink." The blonde demanded before closing the stall door in the other slayers face before she could protest.

Faith groaned in frustration. She was slightly drunk and extremely horny and the fact that Buffy was still on her "not until we're married" mantra, something that should dissipated after the spell was over, she knew that meant she never was going to get into the other slayers pants now. Even with them both drunk she couldn't seem to bag the babe. But just in case, she brought her hand up to the door and pulled on it slightly in hopes that the blonde was kidding. Finding the door lock, she groaned again and begrudgingly walked away and out of the bathroom to dutifully follow the tiny slayers request.

Buffy yawned and pulled her body into a stretch. She frowned slightly as she found her range of motion limited as she felt the lower half of her body being held down. Opening her eyes slightly, she could make out the wild display of brunette locks splayed across her stomach. She smiled sleepily at the sight and brought a hand down to thread through the unruly mane and she closed her eyes again.

After several seconds of soft caressing, her brow creased in a frown as her brain slowly began to process what her eyes had just witnessed. Feeling Faith's warm, soft skin against her own, she didn't have to open her eyes again to know that they both were naked. However, her brain reasoned that she should take another look, but only to confirm that the feeling was true and not because of the expanse of tanned naked flesh belonging to the sexy slayer that was on display.

Opening her eyes again, and fighting off the last remnants of sleep, Buffy blinked several times as her head lolled to the side and she fully took in the scene before her. Her legs were parted and Faith was lying comfortably between them with the sheets tangled up in her legs with her head resting against her stomach. One of her arms was lazily lying off to the side while the other was tucked tightly at the blonde's side.

Buffy lifted her head slightly to look around the area of the room she could see. She noticed that the lamp that was on the nightstand was now lying on the floor next to the telephone that was off the hook. She also noticed the litter of clothing haphazardly leaving a trail along the floor as if they were in a hurry to get them off one by one as they made their way to the bed.

Buffy's brain became a scrambled mess as she tried to sort through the previous night's events to figure out how it would conclude with her and Faith ending up in bed naked. Never in all their time of coming home after a drunken night of partying, had they ever ended up in bed together in such a state of undress.

However, the copious amounts of alcohol she'd ingested the night before held those memories hostage, refusing to let her remember anything past actually showing up at the club and being pissed off and a little hurt that Faith was ignoring her. She did however vaguely remember kissing Faith in the bathroom stall and wondered if that was what led them to their current position.

Buffy dropped her head back to pillow with a groan and ran a hand across her eyes and then pinched the bridge of her nose. Why the PTB would conspire against her to have her put under a spell and doing things she normally wouldn't, have the spelled reversed only to have her end up in bed with Faith anyway, was beyond her comprehension.

What Buffy really couldn't figure out was why she hadn't woken Faith and pushed her away. Sure, she and Faith has shared a bed on more than one occasion and Buffy couldn't even pretend to deny that during those times, it was some of the best sleep she'd had since she'd became a slayer. However, they'd never shared a bed with the nakedness and definitely not with the nakedness on top of each other. This was definitely a moment that was to go down in the history of all freak outs. Something of this caliber was definitely freak out worthy and she knew she should be having the mother freak out of freak outing, but oddly she wasn't.

She reasoned that it was probably the fact that she knew that they hadn't had sex. She knew this because there wasn't any soreness, or the delicious ache of an all-night roll in the hay that she knew she would've felt when she's had it good, knowing that she'd feel that ten times over having it been given by a slayer. Or more importantly, a slayer named Faith. At least in her mind that's how she envisioned it to be.

Buffy didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed at the fact. She couldn't deny that the idea of having sex with Faith was something she had entertained. Of course, it was always hidden by a drunken haze as she watched the sexy slayer dancing or slaying. Sometimes it was while she was subjected to listening while the brunette talked in great detail about her sexual conquest and what she would do with them. Buffy couldn't count the number of times she'd picture herself being the star in Faith's detailed stories. But then, it would all be brushed off and filed back in the part of her brain marked 'denial'.

However, the effects of slaying and the alcoholic haze couldn't be used as an excuse now; the alcohol effects had long faded as she slept and they hadn't been slaying since they left Cleveland. Having the brunette so exposed and laying on top of her in such an intimate way, it was hard for her to deny that she liked the sight and the feel of Faith's naked body against her own. Faith was warm and light and the warm breath that Buffy could feel each time she exhaled tickled her flesh and brought goose bumps to her skin while sending shivers through her entire body.

She could only conclude that this was definitely all Willow's fault. The talk that they'd had, had definitely made her see hers and Faith relationship in a whole new light. It had definitely shattered the "just friends" delusion she'd settled for into tiny slayer sized pieces and now it was up to her to try to put them together.

Sure there was the excessive amount of flirting and time that they always spent together, but Buffy never imagined that the friendly feelings she'd come to feel for Faith would develop into something more. If in the beginning, someone had told her that as her and Faith got closer her feelings would develop into something deeper, she would've laughed in their face. Never would she have entertained the thought that the feelings she'd been feeling and obviously been repressing were feelings that she could feel for another woman, and not just any woman, that she would feel them for Faith.

It was also surprising for someone to give voice to what they saw when they saw her and Faith together, especially when that someone was one of her best friends, someone who had seen her at her best and her very worse when she was fighting for and fighting against being in love. What surprised her even more was what Willow had told her concerning Faith's feelings for her.

Was it possible that when others looked at them they misinterpreted the picture of a deeply formed friendship, one that should've been there all along with nothing more? Or was it possible that something as innocent as friendship had turned into a full blown affair without either of them knowing?

It was something Buffy realized she definitely would have to talk to Faith about whether the wayward slayer wanted too or not. She also realized that she needed to actually wake Faith so they could go through the inevitable state of awkwardness that this would surely bring, at least on her part anyway. She knew Faith would probably make a joke and make light of it as she did with everything. At least Buffy hoped she would, the last thing she needed to worry about was Faith possibly freaking out over this and start avoiding her like she had most of the night before and them never talking about what could possibly be happening between the two of them.

Buffy sighed heavily as she peered down at the sleeping brunette and softly brushed the hair away from her face. In hindsight, she realized just how many times she'd actually watched the reformed slayer while she slept and each time she did, it tugged at her heart at just how beautiful, young and at peace she looked.

Brushing the back of her hand alone the sleeping girl's cheek, Buffy's breath caught in her throat and she quickly pulled her hand away as Faith's sleeping form shifted and groaned quietly. Her head turned and her warm lips brushed across the bare skin on Buffy's stomach, causing the muscles to grow taut and quiver in anticipation.

Faith nuzzled her nose against the softness and parted her lips and allowed them to trail a moist path to Buffy's bellybutton where the faintest kiss was placed upon it.

Buffy squeezed her eyes shut at the movement and a strangled moan was caught in her throat. Her nipples became taut and her breathing shallow as Faith made a purring sound that vibrated against her skin. The hand that was previously caressing Faith cheek had now slid into her dark locks and was gently raking against her scalp.

It wasn't until Faith's hands had started to roam and they were methodically traveling along Buffy's sides while her head began to travel southbound as she peppered wet butterfly kisses against Buffy's heated skin that Buffy knew she had to do something. She couldn't allow what it appeared was about to happen to actually happen.

From the path Faith was slowly traveling, there was no doubt in Buffy's mind what the dark slayer's intended target was and it made her center wetter and clench in anticipation. So instead of stopping the brunette like she intended, Buffy only encouraged her more as her legs fell open more and she slid a hand into unruly locks, spurring the prone slayer on even more.

Another moan was pulled from Faith's lips, and even at a time like this, Buffy's mind strayed to the erratic and she couldn't help but wonder if Faith indeed knew what she was doing. Was she still asleep and perhaps still stuck in a dream? A very good one at that. Or was this a mistake and Faith envisioned that she was with someone else instead of her.

Buffy's rambling mind won out as she took in several breathe, mentally kicking herself for what she was about to do. She sighed heavily and tapped Faith on top of the head.

The brunette's face was still buried in the soft, inviting flesh that she'd filled with her nostrils and etched into her mind, not willing to give up her own personal heaven just yet.

"Uh...Faith!" Buffy squeaked, her voice much higher than she intended because of the little nip and licking action the brunette had just placed to the area just below her belly button.

"Yeah B?" Faith rasped, her sleep ridden voice sounding sexier than usual.

"Oh," Buffy was pleasantly surprised at Faith's verbal confirmation of who she was with. "I um...I was just checking to see if you knew who you were doing." Buffy's eyes widened and her face felt flush at her choice of words. "I...I mean what you were doing, and...and who you were doing it too. Because um...yeah, it's me that you're doing, uh...it to." Buffy squeezed her eyes shut out of embarrassment, she could feel Faith's smile and chuckle against her skin and it caused her blush to deepen into a nice crimson shade that she felt making its way over her entire body.

"Of course B, why you think I haven't bailed yet?" She lifted her head with a sleepy dimpled grin and watched as green eyes slowly opened to meet her own. Upon waking, Faith immediately recognized the scent that was purely Buffy. She could pick it out of a crowd of a hundred people, and albeit a little surprised at their current position, she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when the scent she'd happily drown herself in if she could was mixed with the overpowering scent of Buffy's arousal. That coupled with the feeling of Buffy's hand on her was enough to drive her libido into overdrive.

"Sorry B, just pushing my luck I guess," Faith told her playfully and bounced her brows once in an attempt to hide her disappoint at being stopped. She could feel Buffy sex hot against her torso and could feel how wet she was. She was so close and part of her brain reasoned that Buffy was just as turned on and was screaming at her to try to urge the sexy blonde over the edge, but the part that loved life, forced her to keep it in check.

The two slayers stared at each other for a few minutes before Buffy finally raised and curious brow. It caused Faith to chuckle and roll her eyes, and then begrudgingly rolled off of the enticing form beneath her, but still she stayed close.

As she propped herself up on her elbow, a slow smile crossed Faith's lips. "Damn, sorry B," she apologized, but her face held no sign of sympathy, in fact she looked quite amused as she reached out and lightly ran her fingertips over Buffy's skin. Buffy shuddered at the touch and raised her head slightly to see what Faith was so sorry about. Her eyes widened as she was finally able to see the lower half of her body riddled with love bites. Most of them had started to fade but some still looked fresh.

At the shudder, Faith pulled her hand away, taking it as a bad sign seeing as Buffy now looked horrified to see she had used her body as her own personal suck toy. With a genuine apologetic look, she raised her eyes to look at the blonde's face, but couldn't help the lopsided grin and the urge to bring her hand up and softly brushed Buffy's hair away from her neck.

"Damn girl, looks like I got a little carried away. You look like a spotted leopard B!"

Buffy gasped slightly as Faith fingers began lightly teasing, and drawing imaginary patterns with them across her flesh. She reluctantly reached down and grabbed onto the brunette's wrist, removing her hand. Faith frowned slightly, "Sorry," Faith said again and flopped back on the bed and stretched.

Although she missed the warmth of the other slayers body instantly, Buffy sighed a little in relief, knowing that if Faith had decided not to stop with the sexy kisses and the roaming hands that she would have given in and allowed Faith to have her naughty way with her. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing though, Buffy thought as she heard the brunette heave a sigh next to her. Faith's acknowledgment that she was aware of who her bedmate was told Buffy that Faith definitely was attracted to her in more than a friendly nature. The only problem Buffy was having was if that's all Faith would see it as, just sex. So, until she knew the full intentions of the dark slayer, Buffy knew she had to put a halt to any and all sexiness.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to fully keep her mind on the conversation at hand with their current state of nakedness, Buffy swiftly reached for the sheets. She pulled them all the way up to her neck as one would if tucking in a child and glanced over at Faith. The slayer had taken no measures to cover herself and was just laying there. Her breathing was even and her forearm was lying across her face, so it was hard for Buffy to tell if she had fallen back asleep so quickly.

In trying to debate whether or not she should disturb the presumably sleeping girl, Buffy couldn't resist raking her eyes over Faith's naked form. She slowly licked her lips as she took in dusky nipples on pert breast. She moved her hands under the sheets in an effort to keep from reaching out and brushing her fingertips over them. Instead she continued her visual assault and her eyes moved down over tanned, toned flesh and followed the thin strip of dark hair, barely visible as it trailed a path to a neatly trimmed patch of wiry curls.

"Take a picture B, it'll last much longer," Faith responded teasingly, trying to dismiss the disappointment and get back to her nonchalant nature.

"I wasn't...um...I uh, was just...," Buffy stammered as she slunk down onto the bed further trying to disappear into the mattress.

"I know what you were doing, B," Faith told her as she removed her forearm and lolled her head to the side to look at Buffy. The blonde had now pulled the sheet all the way up over her and only the top of her head was visible.

Faith chuckled, reached over and pulled the sheet down to look at the embarrassed slayer. "It's ok B, I don't mind you ogling, it's a nice package to look at," she told her with a wiggle her brows.

Buffy rolled her eyes and snatched the sheets away, "I was not ogling you. It's just you're so...naked."

"So you noticed," Faith smirked.

Will you just cover yourself already?" Buffy snapped.

"Why, B? I'm comfortable." Faith told her as she pulled her arms above her and folded her hands together to rest under her head.

"Well I'm not," Buffy bristled while roughly tucking the sheets back against her body.

"C'mon Buffy, we've slept in the same bed before. It's not a big deal." Faith shrugged.

"Yeah we have, Faith...bu...but we've never woke up together...you know, with the togetherness." Buffy explained. "And the nakedness!"

"Chill out B!" Faith was getting upset now at Buffy's overreaction. "It's not like we fucked or anything because trust me if we had you'd be singing a different tune right now instead of back to that same ol' stick up your ass melody. But whatever, B" Faith said slightly miffed as she pulled herself into a sitting position and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She stood and pulled her body into a full stretch. "Since my body offends you, I'm gonna take shower, you should probably see if Ken and Red are up so we can grab breakfast before we have to head out, yeah?"

Buffy nodded dumbly, "Uh, yeah...that looks good," she said and then her eyes widened upon realizing what she'd said, "Um, I meant sound...that sounds good. Yeah, calling Willow and Kennedy sounds good."

Faith nodded mutely and stalked off in the direction of the bathroom.

When she was out of sight, Buffy closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. She hadn't meant to piss Faith off, but she was far too out of her comfort zone with all of Faith's naked goodness right in front of her. She simply didn't know what to do when the girl had woken up, so her instincts told her to panic and revert back to pretending she didn't want Faith.

Buffy shook her head pitifully at her antics. It was far too early for her to be making a fool of herself. Pulling the sheets to wrap around herself, she sat up and ran a hand roughly over her face. She then threaded her fingers back through what she was sure was a horrid case of bed head before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing up. She walked over to the bureau and stood in front of the mirror and groaned as her bed head suspicions were confirmed and ran her hand through it, attempting to get it back in some order.

As she took a closer look into the mirror, she gasped and brought her fingers to the reddish/purplish mark that donned her neck. She then reached down to open the sheet and once again looked at the other marks that were on her body. Faith's mark of possession. Buffy couldn't help the small smile that crossed her lips at the thought and she ran her fingertips along them.

It was then that the blonde made up her mind that she would have that talk with the brunette as soon as she emerged from the bathroom. Hopefully it went well and would end with them back in the bed and Faith finishing the journey that she had begun last night and about to start this morning. The thought made Buffy blush, but it made her ache and throb for the brunette even more. With her mind made up, she turned around and took in the state of disarray of the room and figured she'd start picking up the discarded clothes as she waited.

In the bathroom, Faith's back was resting against the closed door and her eyes were closed. She blew out a frustrated breath and she softly bumped her head back against the door as she tried to filter through the previous night's events.

It was all a blur for her and even the parts she did remember she wasn't sure if all of it had really happened or if her mind had made it all up because some of it just seemed too good to be true. Then she thought back to how they'd woken up, and how content she'd felt to wake up lying on top of the blonde slayer.

Her body tingled in all the places where it touched Buffy's and she ached and throbbed in others. Faith was sure that Buffy had been just as turned on as she was, hell she could smell it, but rationalized that the blonde hadn't fully woken up yet and when she realized what was happening she had started to freak out.

Instead of driving herself crazy with the into overthinking about the mornings events, she decided to drive herself crazy with trying to remember the night before.

She remembered being pissed...a lot; the reasoning's coming through in bits and pieces. She also remembered kissing Buffy...a lot, the reasoning's for that coming through in bits and pieces as well. But her mind couldn't help but stray back to the fact that when it was all said and done, anything that happened last night had been because they were both drunk and probably some after effects of Willow's stupid spell.

"So stupid," she chastised quietly, "B doesn't want you." She told herself as she heaved herself away from the door and padded through the bathroom and towards the shower.

She yanked the door opened and turned on the taps to get the water at a comfortable temperature, knowing it was futile to take a cold shower, they never proved to give any type of relief to her current situations. It wasn't that she was embarrassed to engage in a little self-love; in fact it's all she had been doing for the past few months and if she kept at it, she was sure she'd develop a serious case of hairy palms soon. However, knowing that Buffy was just outside the door, and seeing as she didn't want to freak the tiny slayer out more than she already was, she knew she couldn't take care of business like she needed too.

She really didn't understand why or how it happened, the whole self-loving kick she was on. Hell, she knew she was hot enough to pick up whomever she wanted, whenever she wanted. And even though it went against her own rule, she had started getting it on steadily with Robin Wood once he'd arrived in Cleveland, but of course, it didn't last long.

All it had taken was one night when she and Robin had gone out after patrol and drank a little too much. Seeing as the walk to her place was closer, and she was way to horny to trek the extra mileage, once it was all said and done, Robin had ended up staying the night.

To say that Buffy wasn't too happy when the self proclaimed demon hunter made his way downstairs and appeared in their kitchen the next morning was an understatement. Even though she wasn't happy about it, she knew Faith had taken back up and started sleeping with the son of a former slayer on a regular basis to satisfy her primal urges, but to have it thrown in her face was something the blonde slayer wouldn't tolerate. Needless to say that after that day, the former rogue slayer and the ex principal sexual relationship ceased to exist anymore.

As Faith stepped under the spray and squeeze a healthy amount of shampoo in her hands to lather her hair, she thought back to what Kennedy had said about the whole Robin deal. She had conceded that the only reason Buffy had made such a big stink about the whole situation was because it was just her controlling ways. No matter the reason though, Faith had put an end to the quasi relationship with the man and warded off all attempts of a sexual nature as well with others.

After Buffy had explained with a pout present during the whole conversation, that she simply just missed Faith when she spent time with someone that wasn't her, Faith had felt guilty. From that point on for some reason, even though she knew hers and Buffy's relationship wouldn't make it pass the friend stage, it all made her feel like a cheater, and that was someone she didn't want to be.

"Oh my God...Faith!" She heard her named yelled and it broke her out her thoughts. The sound was close, so she knew Buffy was about to enter the bathroom.

"What is it B?" She yelled back, sticking her head under the spray to rinse out the shampoo. Before she could get it all rinsed, and with suds still coating her face, she heard the shower door being opened and felt herself being yanked from under the spray.

"What the fuck B? If you wanted to look at the goods you could've just asked me to stay in the room," Faith said as she ran a hand over her face in attempt to clear her eyes.

"Faith!" Buffy yelled again. "Look at this?" She continued to tug on the brunette.

"Fuck B, if you hadn't noticed, I can't see much of anything and if you don't let me rinse this shit out, it's going to burn my damn eyes out and I'll be permanently blind." With a huff, Buffy released Faith and allowed her to duck back under the spray and finish rinsing as she started to pace.

When Faith was done, she ran her hand over her eyes again to clear the water, and after blinking a few times she poked her head out of the stall so she could turn her attention to Buffy. "Now what the fuck is it B?" She blinked a few more times as she tried to focus on what Buffy was holding in front of her. With her eyes still slightly stinging and her vision unfocused, Faith reached for what she could see was a piece of paper being held in front of her.

"Your hands are wet! You'll ruin it?" Buffy quickly pulled the paper out of the brunettes reach.

Faith huffed as she squinted, "You told me to look at it B!"

"I said look, not touch." The blonde bristled.

Faith growled and blinked a few more times before ducking back into the shower and turning off water. Buffy stepped aside and grabbed a towel off the rack as Faith stepped out and handed it to her. "Thanks," Faith said as she began toweling off.

Buffy was mesmerized once again as she looked on. Her mouth had gone incredibly dry and she wondered if Faith would freak out if she used her tongue instead of the towel to soak up the droplets of water that slid down the dangerously sexy, well-toned body.

"Okay B, what's the what?" Faith asked as she toweled her hair then quickly wrapped it tightly around her body. She really didn't need Buffy repeating how much she did not want to see her naked.

"Oh," Buffy shook her head slightly as if pulling herself out of a daydream. "This!" She held the document up in front of Faith.

Faith squinted a few times as she looked at the document. It wasn't until she heard Buffy give an aggravated huff that she swiped at her eyes again and stepped closer to take a look. She frown slightly a look of confusion etched on her face then looked to Buffy, "What is this?"

Buffy shook the paper in front of Faith's face a little, "Faith stop playing I know you can read damnit! This is serious!" She said with panic clear in her voice.

"Fuck yeah I can read B, my Good Enough Diploma says so," Faith said with a smirk.

"Your what?" Buffy asked, clearly confused.

Faith only rolled her eyes, "my G.E.D.," and looked back to the document, while reaching for it. This time Buffy allowed her to take it. Faith grasped the paper, holding it in both hands as she turned around to study it carefully. She looked over it as if it held the meaning of life and if she didn't look carefully, she'd miss something.

She took in the thick gold color border that traveled around the edges of the documents. There was a seal that was the same color as the border in the lower left hand corner with an affiliation Faith didn't recognize. Her eyes roamed over the impressive print, reading each word and then stopping to focus on the ones that held the most significance, making sure she didn't misinterpret any of it.

It wasn't until her eyes fell on the neatly scribbled signatures that were hers and Buffy's. Then suddenly it all clicked and her eyes traveled over the paper again and it all registered a lot faster than it had before. 'Marriage of Certificate', 'Buffy Anne Summers And Faith Lehane', 'united', 'holy matrimony'.

"Holy fuck," Faith whispered. "Holy fuck!" she said much louder as she turned back around to look at her wife, her eyes as wide as saucers. "We're fucking married!"


	14. Chapter 13

**AN: I'd like to thank all of the anon reviewers that I couldn't personally thank for the awesome reviews for the last chapter. This update was not suppose to take this long seeing as the remainder of this fic is pretty much written. Circumstances such as work (it drains all the energy out of life), laziness, ANOTHER surgery on my right hand...you know, the unimportant stuff :P got in the way. I just hope you guys keep up with the awesome reviewing! **

**At any rate, I will ramble no longer and let you get on with the chapter. I will say that this chapter is strictly in Buffy's POV so please be kind to our favorite rogue slayer she's...Faith after all. :/ Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 13**

* * *

Buffy sat perched on the edge of the bed, bottom lip clutched nervously between her teeth as she watched for what probably was the 100th time as Faith made another pass as she paced in front of her. She could see that something wasn't quite right with the brunette. Faith looked deep in thought as her eyes never left the marriage certificate and her jaw was so tightly clenched that Buffy could see the muscle at her jawbone protruding.

"Faith," Buffy called out to her in what she hoped was a soothing tone, "maybe you should sit down. Willow and Kennedy are on their way up and maybe they know something about this. Maybe it's more magic that's been conjured up or just left over from the spell. I'm sure there's an explanation." Faith only grunted in response, which by Buffy's standards was a lot better than anything else she'd said previously, which had been absolutely nothing.

After the brunette's initial reaction to finding out about their nuptials, she had sat silently on the edge of the bed and had continued to study the document, apparently still in disbelief. Even after Buffy had called Willow and asked that she and Kennedy come up right away, with no explanation, and then excused herself to the bathroom to change, when she came back out, the brunette was still in the same position.

It wasn't until she'd explained to Faith that their friends were on the way and that she was still only in a towel. Only then did Faith allow her gaze to wander away from the piece of paper long enough to pull on a pair of jeans and a tank top. When she was done, she had picked the certificate back up and that's when the pacing had begun.

Now Buffy sat watching the silent slayer and wondered just what was going on in Faith's head. Buffy had expected teasing and about a million and one offers of the sexual nature seeing as it appeared that they were actually married now. However, what she got was what she was looking at now, and to her it looked like the usual playful and carefree slayer was definitely having some type of mental break down. Most definitely a role reversal as far as this weekend was concerned.

The loud knock on the door startled Buffy as it broke through the stifling silence in the room. She quickly jumped up and walked into the living room area and to the door. As she pulled it open, Willow nearly ran her over as she hurried inside with Kennedy hot on her heels.

"Oh my God, Buffy. Are you okay? What happened? Is it Faith? Did you guys fight? Did she leave?" The string of questions rushed out of the red heads mouth, leaving Buffy's mouth gapping as she attempted to answer but was quickly cut off only to be hit with another question.

"No, Will everything is fine." Buffy finally answered, but frowned slightly. "Well not _fine_ fine, but Faith didn't leave, she's still here."

Willow sighed, somewhat relieved. "Oh, well you sounded worried on the phone and you wouldn't tell me anything and you know me," Willow pointed at herself with a sheepish smile, "jumper of all the wrong conclusions here. So I guess I just automatically assumed the worst."

Buffy opened her mouth to interject and explain, but the redhead didn't let up and continued her rambling. "But…but I guess I shouldn't have thought anything was wrong with how you and Faith were when we left." Willow bounced her brows slightly and flashed a mischievous grin that quickly fell, "unless of course she was all freaked out when you guys woke up and went all denial girl…or…or you went all denial girl which would make more sense since you are the Queen of denial when it comes to Faith and then your freaking out freaked her out, and…and…,"

"Okay, hold up," Kennedy interrupted and placed a hand on the witch's back and rubbed it soothingly, this caused the Wiccan to take a much needed breath, "just calm down for a second baby and let the littlest slayer explain what was so important that she had to interrupt our last morning in Vegas."

Buffy shot Kennedy a glare before cutting her eyes back to her best friend, "It was nothing like that Will, well except for the freaking out thing, but it wasn't me this time. It's Faith, I think she may be freaking out a little, either that or she's just eerily calm," Buffy's brows furrowed, "which now that I think about it, she's definitely freaking because she's never this quiet. However you want to look at it, she's doing something that definitely isn't Faith-like," Buffy explained worriedly.

"Okay, so quiet Faith means no talking then, so what did you guys do that has her freaking out so much?"

"From the looks of it, there was definitely _no_ talking and a whole lot of something else going on, and if Faith is freaking out about it, that means you're definitely not doing it correctly Buffy," Kennedy said with a smirk as she looked around at the clothes that were still strewn around the room and toed a pair of panties that were at her feet. "I guess this means you two aren't done packing yet?"

Buffy scoffed at the comment but then noticing what Kennedy attention was focused on, her eyes widened and she blushed furiously as she hurriedly bent down to pick up the garment. "Hey! I do it just fine thank you! But we…we just...uhhh," Buffy stammered as she walked around and hastily picked up the pieces of clothing that were in the immediate area. With the revelation that she and Faith had seemingly gotten married, picking up after her and the dark slayer was the last thing on her mind.

"Trust me, we know how it works Buffy…question is, do you?" Kennedy teased, making the blonde blush even more. "I mean I'm figuring this would've been your first time with a chick and all, so I get that maybe you were a little um…rough around the edges?"

"Shut. Up. Kennedy." Buffy ground out through gritted teeth as she picked up another article of clothing.

Willow's gaze dropped to the floor and a goofy grin spread across her face as she looked back up to her best friend. "So things went well after all after we left last night, huh?"

"Well, actually no. Well yes…maybe, I don't know." Buffy shook her head in frustration at not knowing exactly how things were with her and Faith. "Look, we…we haven't talked about anything just yet." Buffy stated, looking around to make sure there were no more of their unmentionables lying around.

Willow and Kennedy looked to each other with matching grins as their minds went to the obvious.

Buffy caught the glance and shook her head, "No, it…it's not what you guys are thinking. Just…just stop with the pervy thoughts and wait here okay. I'll go get Faith." With that said, Buffy scurried off towards the bedroom.

When Buffy entered the bedroom, she found Faith much like she'd left her. She was still eyeing the document in her hand, seemingly mesmerized by the piece of paper she was holding. Only now she had taken up Buffy's previous position and was perched on the edge of the bed.

Buffy sighed and threw the clothes in her arms on the bed and walked over to kneel in front of the troubled girl. It wasn't until she placed a hand on Faith's knee, that the brunette blinked a couple of times, apparently bringing herself out of a trance and her gaze focused on Buffy.

"Hey," Buffy spoke softly. "Will and Kennedy are here, we should probably go get this all sorted out. We only have a few hours before we have to leave so we probably should get packed, it shouldn't take us long and then we can grab breakfast. I know how grumpy you get when you're hungry."

"I don't think there's anything to sort out," Faith said just as softly. The fact that she had spoken at all startled Buffy. "This bad boy looks pretty real to me."

"Yeah but if it's magic it's supposed to right? Maybe they thought it would be funny if they made us think we got married. You know, with the whole us thinking we were supposed to with the spell? One last joke at our expense before we leave." Buffy reasoned, hoping she sounded convincing.

Faith shook her head at the explanation, deep down she knew that wasn't the case. "What about the way we woke up? Was that part of the comedy act as well?"

Given the brunette's earlier actions and her quite nature, the line of questioning caught Buffy off guard even though she knew she should've expected it. "Th…that was, it was um, we…we were drunk Faith." Buffy said shaking her head dismissively. "We can't be held responsible for our actions in that state. Trust me, I could do a PSA on the badness of magic mixed with alcohol. I know firsthand that it makes you do all kinds of unexpected things like…"

"End up in bed with me about to go down on you?" Faith interrupted with a raised brow, her question causing Buffy's mouth to snap shut as she blushed a bright red hue and sat gawking at Faith. "C'mon B," Faith threw her hands up in frustration, the abrupt action causing Buffy to stumble backwards, "We've been drunk off our asses plenty of times before and we've _never_ done anything like that."

"I know that!" Buffy exclaimed as she stood. "Look Faith, you're obviously freaked out about this and I get it, but…,"

"Do you?" Faith asked, interrupting Buffy again and taking a step towards her. "I mean do you really? Because you seem awfully calm about this, B. In fact, with everything that's happened this weekend, the thing that I'm actually inclined to agree you should be freaking out about and you aren't!"

"Look Faith, there's nothing to get so worked up about just yet. I think that…that maybe," Buffy started.

"Yeah you just think it's a big fucking joke, you've said that already?" Faith interrupted again.

"Will you please stop doing that?" Buffy yelled this time she was the one to throw up her hands in frustration.

"What?" Faith asked, thoroughly confused by the outburst.

"You keep cutting me off. It's annoying."

"Oh, sorry...didn't realize I was doing it I guess. But now that we're hitched, we're supposed to be able to finish each other sentences and shit now, aren't we?" Faith shrugged lightly with an easy smile, hoping to lighten the other girl's mood.

Upon seeing Faith's contagious smile, Buffy couldn't fight the one that was tugging at her lips. "Well that's actually not what I was going to say." She folded her arms across her chest and took a deep breath. "What I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted," Buffy looked pointedly at Faith, a small smile still playing at her lips causing Faith to hold her hands up in a placating manner and then gesturing for her to continue, "was that maybe we need to sit down and talk things through before we get to the decision making. I know this entire weekend has been all kinds of confusing, but maybe we could…or I think that we should…,"

A soft knock interrupted Buffy, followed by a flash of red hair peaking inside, "Uh Buff, is everything okay in here?"

"Why does everyone keep interrupting me?" the blonde slayer yelled and threw her hands up in the air, causing the brunette to jump slightly at the outburst. Buffy stormed over and yanked the door open wider and pinned Willow with a glare.

The witch jumped back timidly at the look her friend was giving her. "I um…I just thought that you wanted…because yeah…you…you called us...and…and we're here, so um…," Willow stammered.

"Fine, let's just get this over with. But when this is over," Buffy turned back to Faith and pointed, "We need to talk and there will be no interrupting what I need to say, got it?" Faith nodded dumbly and with a brisk nod and a huff, Buffy then turned back around and stalked past her best friend.

Willow look dumbfound by the outburst as she looked after the blonde's retreating form. She then turned to look at an equally confused Faith. Only Faith was confused for a different reason. She just stood there, slack jawed and trying to work out in her mind exactly what it was Buffy wanted to talk about. Whatever it was, she had a feeling that she wasn't going to like it and wanted to prolong it as much as she could.

"Uh Faith?" Willow's voice broke through the brunette slayer's thoughts. Faith only turned to look at the red head with a scowl and then she too stormed past her. Willow's frown of confusion soon morphed into her resolve face. "Hey wait a minute! You guys called us remember?" She called out as she took off after the retreating slayers.

* * *

"Oh this is just…this is…are you kidding me?" Kennedy attempted to speak through her hysterical laughter as she looked over Willow's shoulder at the marriage certificate in her hand and wiped at the tears that had formed in her eyes from laughing so hard. "Seriously? You're kidding me right?"

"Well we were hoping for an explanation of the kidding variety. Only from your end cause we're coming up blank with this one. Literally." Buffy added as she spared a glance at Faith, who was leaning against the far wall with her arms crossed over her chest and glowering at the cackling slayer.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked as she looked up from the paper in her hand.

"We kind of don't remember any of the how's of how this exactly happened, and with the whole spell thing we just thought that you had something to do with this, thinking maybe it'd be funny if you made us think we really did get married after all," Buffy revealed her theory with a slight shrug.

"_You_ just thought B, not we," Faith threw in from her position away from the group.

"Yes, it was all me," Buffy said sarcastically, "because obviously you know exactly what happened but because you decided to go all Helen Keller on me I couldn't exactly get any answers."

"What!" Faith bristled as she pushed herself away from the wall and dropped her arms to her side. "What makes you think I know how this happened," she defended. "I didn't do anything!"

"I didn't say that you did!" Buffy replied hotly and suddenly becoming very annoyed with the whole situation. Kennedy was still chuckling over the whole ordeal, Willow had been quiet and not helpful at all since the certificate was shown to her and now Faith was becoming all defensive and angry. All Buffy wanted was for this whole fiasco to be over with so she could finally sit Faith down and tell her how she felt, and then have Faith return her affections and then they'd live happily ever after. Story. End of.

"I don't believe this," Kennedy choked out through another fit of laughter. "The whole spell was over and you two _still_ manage to get married anyway? Seriously, only the two of you could manage to pull something this stupid off and _not _know how it happened." She wiped at the tears that had formed in her eyes.

The newlyweds spared a glance at each other before fixing Kennedy with matching menacing looks before Faith finally stalked off to a corner of the room by herself.

"Will," Buffy approached her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Can you please just fix this?"

"Honestly Buffy, I had nothing to do with this," Willow said as she finally stopped studying the certificate of marriage and looked up at her best friend.

"Yeah Buffy, after we left last night we came straight back to the hotel and trust me the last thing on Will's mind was conjuring up ways to get a laugh at your expense. If you know what I mean," Kennedy said with a wiggle of her brows, which earned her a swat to the stomach.

Buffy frowned, "So you're saying this is real?"

Faith scoffed and rolled her eyes at the question. "Of course it's fucking real B!" the brunette lashed out.

Buffy shot Faith a look before she reached out to grab the marriage certificate from Willow, turning her back on the rest of the room's occupants and looked at it longingly. Upon first finding it, Buffy's first reaction was shock that soon turned into doubt. However, now that she knew that the document was real; Buffy couldn't help but stare at it in awe.

Never in a million years did she think that she would be able to do something as 'normal' as getting married. Buffy Summers, the girl who for all intents and purposes couldn't make a relationship work to save both of her undead lives was now married. And to top it off, she was married to the last person on earth, or in their case, the Hellmouth, that she or anyone else would expect.

Buffy shook her head and a half smile made its way across her lips as she gazed down at the paper in her hand. Her eyes once again traveled over the fine print that announced her and Faith joined together in holy matrimony. She thought back on all the lovers she'd had in the past, wondering which of their names she could see printed in place of Faith's that would make her feel as happy as she did now. None of them made her heart thud in her chest, or made her feel as giddy at the notion of spending an eternity with, not even the two souled vampires that that statement could actually apply too.

After all they'd been through, the good and the bad, they'd overcome it all. The hate, the betrayal, the fighting…okay so they still fought, but it wasn't with their fist this time around. Now it was mainly over who got to pick the next movie they saw, or because Faith used Buffy's towel and it was still soaking wet when Buffy needed it, or who's turn it was to take the newbies out on patrol, and argument that was pointless since they both couldn't stand to spend any unnecessary time apart and they both ended up going anyway.

As far as relationships went, they've pretty much been through it all, and now they had found something in each other that Buffy couldn't see herself being without. Buffy knew they had a friendship, a partnership, a bond so strong that not even murderous intents and a shitload of missed opportunities could come between. No matter what had happened in their past, it seemed they always found their way back to each other, whether it was under the guise of revenge or fighting the latest Big Bad, Buffy knew it was because it's exactly where they were supposed to be. Together.

In that instant everything suddenly became very clear to Buffy, she knew without a doubt that she was completely and unconditionally in love with Faith, and now that she was being completely honest with herself, she knew the feelings she had for Faith had been there for quite some time.

Buffy continued to stare down at the paper in her hand and realized that everything she had with Faith, albeit unintentional, was everything she'd ever wanted in a relationship, in a lifetime partner. There was trust, comfort, respect and above all else, love. She wondered what other reasons there were for her not to at least try to get Faith to see that they belonged together as more than friends.

As her eyes slowly lifted, Buffy turned her gaze to the brunette in question and that's when she found her one reason. There stood Faith in all her brooding glory, running a hand roughly through her hair and pacing, looking like she wanted to be anywhere other than where she was and to Buffy, it certainly wasn't a look of joy or life altering decision making.

The look made Buffy falter in her decision as she wondered if telling Faith she was in love with her was the right thing to do. She knew that Faith cared about her; it was obvious to anyone with eyes to see. But did the affection only stop there? Did Faith only simply just care about her and have only friendly feelings towards her? Whereas Buffy heart had previously soared at the revelation of what she was feeling, it was now in the pit of her stomach at the notion that her feelings may not be well received.

"So what are you two going to do now?" Willow was the one who finally spoke, breaking Buffy's heart aching train of thought.

Faith finally stopped her pacing and looked to Buffy when the question was posed. Buffy only shrugged and raised her brows slightly, quietly asking the brunette for some kind of direction. When Faith diverted eye contact and found something more interesting on the table she was leaning against, Buffy sighed again. She should've known she'd get no help there. "I…I don't know Will. What can we do?"

"Well the logical and simple answer would be an annulment," Kennedy piped in; unaware of the turmoil that was tearing its way through her fellow slayers. "Although with consummation, you'll need a pretty good excuse," Kennedy chuckled as she reached out with her fingers and lightly caressed the fading marks on Buffy's neck. "So I'm thinking you can blame it on the alcohol."

Buffy scoffed and swatted at the younger brunette's hand, "We didn't have sex okay!"

"Well it certainly didn't look like it was from lack of trying," Kennedy smirked and raised her hand to touch Buffy's neck again only to receive another swat.

"Definitely not on my end anyway," Faith mumbled, as she finally decided to join in and approached the group.

With slayer hearing, the other two in the room picked up on the comment. Buffy narrowed her eyes at Faith while Kennedy chuckled.

"Dude, trust me…I knew _you _weren't the problem," Kennedy couldn't help but want to ruffle Buffy's feathers some more as she gave Faith a proud pat on the back, which caused the two brunette slayers to grin broadly and give knowing looks to each other.

Watching the interaction between the two and there whole "frat boy" routine had the blonde seeing red. In fact, everything about the way Faith had been acting since the spell had ended had brought her to the conclusion that Faith had nothing but one thing on her mind where she was concerned. Starting from the previous night, her mind wondered over the hazy bits in the club when Faith had possessively claimed her on the dance floor, and then to the fact that she actually though she was going to get lucky in a bathroom stall.

Then there was how they'd woken up, Buffy had to thank the Powers that Be that nothing actually happened between them. Especially after the whole reveal about them being married and Faith freaking out about it, it was as if her precious single life was now over and she'd be doomed to live out the rest of her emotionally stunted life in monogamous matrimony.

Buffy needed to clear her head, she needed to get this whole marriage thing settled so she could think about what she needed to do about her and Faith. Buffy knew that Faith being a horn dog wasn't a secret and she couldn't necessarily be upset over it either. Truth was, she liked that side of Faith. The sexual prowess that the horny slayer possessed was indeed a huge turn on and Buffy knew she liked being on the receiving end of it all. She just needed it to come with the whole package and not just be a random 'friends with benefits' type thing or with Faith pulling a 'get some, get gone' with her. Buffy knew they'd just have to set some boundaries and talk this whole weekend out and realize that it didn't mean anything so they could get past it all and get back to normal.

She'd simply have to figure out a way to continue to repress and deny what she felt and act as if her heart wasn't being torn into pieces each time she had to pretend she felt nothing more for Faith. After all, she'd done it for this long what was the rest of her life?

"So okay then," Kennedy announced loudly and brought her hands together in a loud clap, effectively breaking the silence that had settled over the room, "so an annulment it is then, right?" She asked with a smirk was still in place.

"Right," Buffy agreed, knowing there was no other option. "Shouldn't be a big deal right?"

"Well normally it wouldn't be, only it's the weekend so that means you guys can't file the proper paper work until tomorrow, but after that's done it should only take a couple of days, three at the most for it to be over. They'll even mail or email the finalized copy to you." Kennedy explained.

"But we're leaving in a few hours," Buffy stated the obvious. "We don't have until tomorrow. There's no other way?"

"There is, it requires a lawyer and it also means you don't have to stay. One can have everything drawn up for you and with your signatures and your marriage certificate, have it filed on your behalf."

"Well looks like we're in luck," Faith sneered, "B here has a certified evil law firm at her beck and call seeing as her honey is in charge. I'm sure Angel will jump at the chance to get B back on the market again."

Buffy rolled her eyes at Faith's dripping sarcasm. Neither of them had particularly been happy about Angel taking over Wolfram and Hart, and knew they couldn't talk him or his crew out of the clutches of the evil law firm. Instead they just had to learn to coexist…on opposite sides of the country.

"He isn't _my_ honey" Buffy shot Faith a look before cutting her eyes away, "but I don't think it'd be a good idea involving Wolfram and Hart anyway. We have an agreement, we stay out of their business and they stay out of ours. If we don't have to include the law firm then we won't." She spoke with finality in her voice, letting them all know that wasn't an option.

"Well then we get Giles to give us another day here to straighten this shit out. It'll be like this never happened, yeah?" Faith asked.

"Yeah and you'll both be back to your happily single status. Exactly where you want to be, right?" Kennedy asked with a smug grin, trying to goad the slayers. Neither of them spoke though, and the room became thick with tension as they both seemed lost in thought.

"You seem to know an awful lot about this stuff," Willow looked suspiciously at her girlfriend and effectively breaking the tension in the room with a little bit of her own.

"Hey, what can I say, my dad's a prick, and I'm privy to all sorts of useless information like annulments. It's his get out of jail free card so he doesn't have to give up half of anything."

"Oh I'm sorry sweetheart," Willow supplied sympathetically.

"It keeps the trust fund intact, so I'm good," Kennedy replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"But still, it must be rough on you to have so many women in and out of his life."

"I've made peace with the fact that my mother wasn't coming back a long time ago, sweetheart. Water under the bridge."

"Hello! Shortest marriage in the history of ever contender here so can we please stay focused. My entrance into Ripley's Believe it or Not is at stake."

"Wouldn't that be admitting it existed," Faith threw out there harmlessly.

"Oh how silly of me, wouldn't want that now would we," Buffy said derisively, the statement cutting her because it was all the admission she needed from Faith that she didn't want all of this to be happening.

"Well since that's all worked out, the only thing that's left to do is get Giles to extend the stay another day and you guys should be set, he can't exactly say no considering the situation. Then first thing in the morning you two head over to the court, get your John Hancock on and haul ass back to Cleveland. Plain and simple."

"Sooo," Willow looked around the room, "Who gets to be the lucky caller?"

All occupants in then room suddenly found something interesting to do and scattered about, mumbling on about something else they had to do. "Oh c'mon, you two were the ones who decided to play house this weekend. It's your mess so you get to clean it up." Kennedy said pointedly.

"I agree guys, besides I've already had the displeasure of talking to Giles once this weekend, so I vote for someone who isn't me." Willow added.

"But you didn't exactly tell him anything Will," Buffy countered, giving her friend an obvious look.

"That's because I didn't have too, no harm no foul, what he doesn't know won't hurt him and all the other analogies that involve me not having to talk to him again.

"But Will…" Buffy whined,

"Nope, Buffy…you see this," Willow made a motion to her face, clearly showing that it was in a resolved state. "Not doing it.

"So that leaves just you and Faith then," Kennedy pointed out.

"Figures," Buffy said as she looked around the room and found the stealthy slayer had disappeared. "I guess this mean it's up to me then."

* * *

Buffy walked out on the terrace to find Faith standing against the railing, looking over it seemingly deep in thought. She leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms over her chest. "Wow, I didn't think being married to me was that big of a disappointment," Buffy joked half-heartedly, but hopeful that the brunette would at least disagree.

When she was only met with silence she continued, "Besides, that distance probably wouldn't kill you anyway, maybe some scrapes and bruises that may land you a few days in a Vegas hospital because I doubt you'd be able to convince them you'll be fine in a few days." Buffy sighed when she still didn't get a reaction out of the brooding slayer and decided to go ahead and put Faith out of her misery.

"So it's all set, we're here for a another night and first thing in the morning we head to the court to take care of the annulment and then we fly straight back to Ohio." Buffy announced. "You know, I think I could almost hear Giles cleaning his glasses over the phone." Buffy chuckled, hoping that would at least get her some kind of reaction. She was right in her assessment and the brunette turned slightly.

"So G was pissed?"

"Just disappointed I think, but you know you never can with him. I didn't get the responsibility lecture though, so that's a good sign, right?"

"He's probably waiting til we're back to Cleveland so we both can hear it," Faith said as she finally turned around and looked at everything except for the blonde slayer.

"You're probably right," Buffy agreed with a grimace. "Kennedy on the other hand is pissed though."

"Why?" Faith frowned slightly as brown eyes briefly darted up to meet green ones.

"Guess she thought her and Willow would get to stay on as well, seems Giles had other plans though because someone has to have to cover our classes tomorrow and she got volunteered. She thinks she's being punished for our screw up."

"Yeah, we really fucked up big this time." Faith said absently as she turned back around and leaned against the rail.

It was Buffy's turn to frown as she pushed herself off the doorframe and walked towards the brooding slayer. "Faith, I know this weekend didn't exactly turn out the way it was supposed to," Buffy started, but for what seemed like the millionth time that day, she was interrupted.

"Understatement of the fucking year B," Faith snorted.

Buffy grimaced at the interruption, "Okay, do you remember when I said we were going to talk and you weren't going to interrupt me?"

Faith whipped around to face the blonde then, clearly upset. "Well doesn't that kinda defeat the purpose of talking B if you're the only one with something to say?"

"Well that's just it Faith, I thought I'd say what I need to say then you'd get a chance to say whatever it is you want. It seems like the logical thing to do because if we're both trying to talk at the same time that means we're not really listening to each other. So would you please just listen for a second?" Buffy pleaded while she tried to fight the urge to cry. She didn't even really understand why she felt like she wanted too.

"Well that's the thing B, I don't need to say anything because the way I see it once we sign on that dotted line tomorrow this whole wicked mess will be done and over with." Faith said as she pushed herself off the rail. "On the other hand, we just bought ourselves another day in Vegas so we should take advantage seeing as we were too wrapped up in each other to enjoy this place before. Not that getting to mack on ya and feel ya up was a bad thing, but we're cool now so we need to go tear this town up girlfriend!"

"Faith it's like," Buffy looked at the imaginary watch on her arm, "still early!"

"C'mon B, this is the city that never sleeps remember? I'm sure we can find something fun to get into." Faith said animatedly as she stepped past Buffy.

"So just like that huh Faith," Buffy turned to look at retreating slayer, "we'll be able to just go back to the way we were? Like none of the things we said or the things we did this weekend matters?" Buffy asked, her heart pounding so loudly it echoed in her ears. "And you're okay with that?"

"Five by five," Faith said emotionless as she stepped through the terrace door and back into the hotel suite.

* * *

"Where's she off to?" Kennedy asked as she looked over at Buffy.

"Obviously somewhere that I'm not," Buffy replied solemnly as she stood still looking at the door that Faith had just stormed out of. "I think she feels guilty about all of this, like it's somehow her fault."

After Faith had posed that they go hit the town up for the day and Buffy had declined, the brunette shrugged it off saying that she didn't need the blonde slayer to have fun. She went into the bedroom, grabbed her phone and jacket, threw a few goodbyes over her shoulder and headed out.

"So I guess this means she didn't want to talk then?" At Buffy shaking her head, Willow walked over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Buffy. I feel like all of this is my fault. None of this would've ever happened if it wasn't for the spell."

"No, it's not your fault Will…okay well maybe some of it's your fault but the fact that Faith is emotionally undeveloped has nothing to do with you."

"Maybe you should just give her some time Buffy, I'm sure she'll come around."

"She won't, she wants to pretend it never happened. But what's funny is that I went out there to convince her that's what I wanted too and that things could remain how they were before this weekend happened." Buffy told her best friend with a dejected expression. "I knew it's what she wanted, but I guess I wasn't ready to actually hear her say it."

Kennedy stood back and watched as her girlfriend continued to console Buffy. She folded her arms and shook her head at the scene in front of her. "I swear it's like watching a Lifetime movie. You're talking about Faith like she's this emotional cripple that doesn't know what she wants or what she's doing." Buffy and Willow turned to look at the younger girl. "Seriously Buffy, how is it that you and Faith are so close, yet you know absolutely nothing about her?"

Buffy scowled at the comment, "Look if this is about the last name thing you can't really blame me for that! And honestly Kennedy, I've lived and worked with you for over a year and I don't even know _your_ last name either!" She yelled.

"Wait…what?" The younger slayer asked, clearly confused.

"What? Wait. That's not where that conversation was head, was it?" Buffy asked sheepishly.

"No it's wasn't, and I'm not even going to ask just what the hell you're on about." The brunette shook her head. "I will ask you if you've thought about the fact that Faith only said that because she thinks it's what _you_ want?"

"She has a point Buff, you did say it's what you were going to suggest when you went to talk to her." Willow pointed out.

"That's only because I _know_ it's what she wants!" Buffy defended.

"See?" Kennedy threw her hands up in frustration.

Willow smiled affectionately at her girlfriend. "I think what she's trying to say is that you both are too busy trying to read each other's minds instead of just following your hearts."

Buffy shook her head stubbornly, "No, you're both wrong. Faith wouldn't even let me finish what I was saying before she was telling me that all she wanted to do was put this all behind us and go back to the way things were and then she couldn't get out of here fast enough."

"That's because in Faith's mind that's all the two of you will ever be is friends, and she's settling for that. She doesn't want to lose you and she thinks that if she tells you how she really feels that she will. The ball's in your court Buffy, it always has been." Kennedy explained, hoping Buffy would get it.

Buffy shook her head again, still unable to believe what Kennedy was telling her especially after Faith had made it clear that she wanted to move past what happened between them. She rubbed her temples, trying to ward off the impending headache. "This is so not fair!" Buffy said with a pout. "Why does everything have to always be up to me? Why can't she just be like a normal person and just tell me how she feels if she actually does feel something? " Buffy asked rhetorically with hands thrown exasperatedly in the air.

However, Kennedy felt the need to answer, "To be fair Buffy, the same can be asked about you. You aren't exactly Ms. Full Disclosure when it comes to how you feel either. If you were, things probably would've gone a lot differently for the two of you."

"So this is my fault?" Buffy snapped.

"No one's blaming you Buffy," Willow soothed and looked to her girlfriend for confirmation. Kennedy only stood with a smug expression, unyielding in her assessment.

"She is!" Buffy pointed at Kennedy, "She thinks this is my fault!"

Kennedy shrugged, "All I'm saying is that someone should step up, and we all know it's not going to be Faith. Hell, even I was stupid enough to think that she would actually man up and tell you that she loved you after we talked yesterday, but clearly I was wrong because she pulled a Houdini before I knew it."

"Did…did she tell you that? That she loved me?" Buffy asked, sounding hopeful.

Kennedy frowned slightly. She didn't want to betray Faith's confidence and spill to Buffy what they'd talked about on the terrace the day before, but she also didn't want to discourage the blonde slayer either. "Well not exactly in those words, but I know that she does." Buffy visibly deflated and started to pout, Kennedy's words not exactly telling her what she wanted to know.

"Buffy, you should probably ask Faith that instead," Willow interjected, feeling bad for her friend and wanting to take some of the heat off her girlfriend.

"How? I can't get her to sit still long enough, or even shut up long enough to listen to anything I have to say."

"Well maybe you need to stop trying to talk to her and just…just _do_ something instead." Kennedy suggested.

The blonde looked quizzically at the younger girl, "Do something like what?"

Kennedy shrugged, "I don't know…something. You know what she likes, right?"

Buffy's eyes widened and her voice raised an octave, "You want me to have sex with her!"

Kennedy chuckled, "Hey, your words…not mine. But whatever works. I mean you are in love with her right? And you _do_ want to sleep with her?"

"I…that's…personal," Buffy sputtered, clearly flustered by the unexpected change in the conversation.

"You don't have to answer that Buffy. But maybe Kennedy's right, if the two of you can't manage talking it out; just show her how you feel. But…but it doesn't have to be with sex!" Willow added before Buffy's brain went completely berserk at the notion. "Just show her that you want more from her and what it'd be like if she gave it."

Buffy looked deep in thought while she let what her friends said roll around in her mind. She felt like she was being pulled on a bipolar emotional rollercoaster, but she also knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted to push her and Faith's relationship past the point of platonic. What she didn't know was how she was going to manage to make that happen.

For starters the object of her affection had taken off and Buffy knew with certainty that Faith would make it her mission to avoid her until it was necessary, which meant there was no telling when she'd actually make it back to their room. She also knew that trying to have an actual conversation with the girl would probably cause her to run away again before it even got started.

She couldn't help but feel that Faith probably felt guilty over the whole ordeal which was why she was avoiding her. It was the way the brunette had avoided eye contact or contact of any kind with her since they'd found out they were married, it was like she was blaming herself for how things had turned out. She wanted to assure Faith that she didn't blame her or regret anything of the things they'd done.

Secondly, even if she did manage to get the elusive slayer back, what was she going to do with her? She wasn't going to deny the fact that the thought of having sex with Faith wasn't on the forefront of her mind. The way Faith had kissed her and touched her certainly made the thoughts much more prominent and into something more she wanted to explore further. But the thought of having sex with another woman was definitely uncharted territory for the blonde and it certainly made her nervous.

It wasn't the girly parts that were the real issue, after all she had her own that she'd gotten extremely familiar with over the past few years and she definitely didn't have any complaints with herself. It was the fact that just because she was able to please herself didn't make her a master of all things girl on girl sex. She wanted to be able to please the sexually charged slayer as well.

"I can't believe I'm actually thinking about doing this." Buffy shook her head and dropped it to rubbed at her temples, but she quickly lifted her head again, "And I'm not thinking about the having sex with her thing," She lied. "I just mean I don't know what I'm supposed to do to make her comfortable enough for me to do anything."

"Well whatever you decide, make it soon. I feel like I should be charging the two of you with all this counseling I'm doing. It's like a full time job and it's exhausting." Kennedy stated with an aggrieved sigh.

"You're doing good baby," Willow smiled affectionately at her girlfriend and rubbed her back.

Kennedy returned the smile and grabbed Willow's hands and brought to them her lips and placed a kiss on top of each, "We should probably head back to our room since we don't have the option of staying longer and you know…finish packing."

"But we finished...," Kennedy shot Willow a look. "Oh! Yeah, _packing_," Willow repeated as she tried to fight off the blush as Kennedy's suggestion settled in. "Because we're leaving soon and that uh, only leaves us," Willow grabbed Kennedy's wrist to look at her watch, "less than two hours to _pack_."

Kennedy's smile widened, "That's more than enough time babe, you know I pack light."

"So we'll see you later Buffy? Maybe we can grab a quite bite before we head out?" Willow offered.

"Yeah because I'm sure with all that packing you have to do you'll work up an appetite." Buffy said dryly with an eye roll. And with that Kennedy grabbed Willow's hand and headed towards and out the door.

* * *

"So you think she'll do it?" Kennedy asked as she hit the button to call the elevator.

"I'm not really sure; Buffy isn't exactly take charge girl when it comes to her love life. She has this cookie dough theory that gives her a pretty bleak outlook where love is concerned."

"Okay, what does cookie dough have to do with anything?" Kennedy asked, thoroughly confused.

"It just means she wouldn't know love if it walked up to her in leather and in a jealous rage and tried to sleep with all of her boyfriends." Willow said with a sad shrug.

"Ah," Kennedy stated knowingly as she thought back on the conversations her and Willow about Buffy and Faith's past. "Well hopefully they'll both figure it out this time around," Kennedy added as she grabbed Willow's hand at hearing the elevator ding and the doors opened.

"Ah, so we meet again," Steve greeted with a wide grin as him and Erin step out of the elevator. "It must be fate."

"That or the two of you are following us," Kennedy offered with a sneer.

Seeing Steve and Erin's genuinely confused looks, Willow interjected, "Ha ha…she's kidding. Right honey?" She looked to Kennedy and then back to the couple, "Because obviously you two aren't following us, this is the floor that your room is on."

"Hmm…so one could assume that you're the ones following us then." Steve playfully added.

"No! We're not!" Willow said animatedly. "Our…our friends…Buffy and Faith, they're on this floor and that's why we were up here, which means we're clearly not following you because we were here first. So yeah, we're just going to um…head back to our floor, where yours isn't because we're leaving soon, so um….goodbye." Willow grabbed a still glaring Kennedy by the arm and pulled her inside elevator and took a much needed breath.

"Give the newlyweds our regards." Erin called out as the door was closing.

"Wait…how did you know they got married?" Kennedy asked as her hand shot out to stop the elevator from closing and she stood in the doorway.

"Well we were there with them, we witnessed it." Steve provided.

"Yeah after the two of you left we all just hung around the club and partied a little, but then we decided to hit up another spot. But before we made it there we passed by a chapel and Faith made the driver stop. She got out and asked Buffy to marry her right then and there. It was spontaneous and romantic." Erin cooed as she thought back on the moment.

"So it was Faith's idea?" Kennedy inquired; her eyebrows scrunched together indicating that she was clearly deep in thought.

"Yeah and Buffy immediately agreed and asked if we would come with them and we did."

"So the two of you got to watch our friends get married?" Willow looked disappointed at the thought of strangers being there for her best friend's special occasion, even if it turned out to be a mistake.

"They seemed happy and in love and we didn't want to disappoint them," Erin provided as an explanation.

"Even though they were drunk off their asses?" Kennedy's sneer reappeared.

"Well they were drunk that's for sure, we all were, but it's not like they weren't going to be married anyway, right? Guess they wanted to hurry it along. After all, that is the magic of Vegas."

"Right….magic," Willow said seemingly dazed as she pulled Kennedy back into the elevator.

When the doors closed, Willow and Kennedy looked at each other with similar shocked expressions. "You don't think that she…," Kennedy started but didn't finish her sentence.

It didn't' matter because Willow knew what she was hinting at. "I don't know, but if she did and is pretending she doesn't remember…this definitely isn't going to end well."


	15. Chapter 14

**AN: I know, I know...this update took waaay to long. I hope there are still readers out there. I think someone jinxed me when they misjudged my updating last time...you know who you are :P This chapter has been written since the last one was posted so it's totally my fault that I obsessed majorly over this one and did about 10 rewrites to it, especially the ending so hopefully you all will enjoy and review. It's unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine and if it totally sucks well...I'll have to do another rewrite and repost it again :P Stopping my rambling now and going to let you get to it...**

**Chapter 14**

* * *

Damn B, you look all cozy and shit. What's with the getup? What's the occasion?" Faith inquired as she stepped out onto the terrace and motioned to the scene around her.

The lightning was low and romantic and there was a soft glow coming from inside of the hot tub while it was also lit on the outside. Lighted tea candles were placed around the edge and there was a small fire pit a few feet away that had a cozy fire that was lowly blazing. And even though it was still early in the evening, the sun was setting and the sky was painted with stunning shades of red, orange and yellow that shadowed onto the terrace providing an even more alluring ambience.

The far corner of the terrace was occupied by a canopy that had sheer red curtains bowed and tied around the poles in the front and was left closed and lightly swaying in the back. Soft glowing lights were strung along the inside casting a sexy red glow to its surroundings. Under it was food cart with a red cloth draped over it and several silver, covered platters were placed on it. In the center was a single red rose in a bud vase complimented with greens and baby's breath and sat next to it, a bottle of wine sitting in an ice bucket.

"Oh that…it's um, the hotel set it up. For us…the newlyweds," Buffy said nonchalantly as she too spared a glance around and then look over to Faith to gauge her reaction. She watched as eager dark eyes roamed and a small smile graced full lips as Faith took in the scenery.

Buffy's heart was racing with anticipation but she smiled when Faith appeared to be pleased with the guise and not on the verge of dashing out on her yet again, because truth be told; the hotel wasn't responsible for the whole set up. It was Buffy that had planned the whole romantic evening in hopes of getting the wayward slayer to sit still long enough for them to talk things through.

"Guess they didn't get the memo then," Faith shrugged, trying for nonchalance while trying not to look disappointed as she walked around fully into the blonde's view and kneeled down at the edge of the tub to lightly wade her hand through the water, still trying to avoid Buffy's gaze. "Uh, Look B, about earlier…," Faith started but was halted as her gaze finally fell on the blonde. She swallowed hard and her pulse increased at the sight and suddenly what she was about to say was lost on her tongue as she stared at Buffy.

The blonde was lounging with her arms sprawled along the edge of the tub with her hair pulled up into a messy bun with a few tendrils hanging around her face that had curled slightly from the warm, steaming water. Faith's eye's roamed appreciatively over Buffy's torso, and if the view from the top was anything to go by, she knew seeing the bottom half would probably cause her to spontaneously combust. Buffy was wearing a black sling bikini, _the_ black sling bikini that Faith had picked out for Buffy so long ago and it definitely wasn't for the shy.

Seeing that all their worldly possessions had been destroyed along with Sunnydale, and even though they'd picked up a few things when they had arrived in Los Angeles, the gang had decided that they would wait until they got to Cleveland to get the bulk of what they needed.

Even though shopping, unless it was for food, was one of Faith's least favorite things to do, she and Buffy was supposed to be giving themselves a fresh start. So when Buffy had asked her to go with them to pick up a few things, Faith didn't have the heart to refuse.

The trip hadn't turned out as bad as Faith had expected it too though. When they'd reached the mall, the gang, along with a handful of the new slayers, had all paired off and went in different directions, which ended up with her and Buffy trolling the mall together.

Being a California girl at heart, when Buffy first found out about the abundance of beaches Ohio had to offer, she insisted that beachwear was the first on her list. Scouring a store full of swimwear with Buffy definitely wasn't the worst thing Faith could think to be doing at that moment.

It wasn't until Buffy had gone through several racks without making a decision that Faith had reached her limit and posed that she be the one to pick out one for her. In the name of bonding, and after finding out that Faith too, was beachwear-less, Buffy had immediately agreed, her only condition was that she got to pick out something for Faith as well.

It wasn't until they'd gotten back home did Faith allow Buffy to see exactly what she had picked out. In true Buffy fashion, the blonde had been shocked and embarrassed by the dark slayers choice for her. She had reasoned that the garment almost left nothing to the imagination, in which Faith countered that it was the whole point of her choosing it.

Nevertheless, Buffy had never worn it. In fact, the very next day she had gone back to the mall and bought a new, less provocative suit for herself. Interesting enough though, she didn't return or discard the one Faith had picked.

Noticing the Faith's lingering gaze, Buffy couldn't help but smirk at the reaction it was causing. The brunette's hand that was in the water had stilled and her mouth was slightly agape as she stared at Buffy's chest. It was the reaction Buffy was hoping for and she gave herself a mental pat on the back for receiving it. Her goal tonight was to drive Faith to the brink of realization that they wanted each other and could be so much more than they were allowing themselves to be. Operation seduce Faith was well underway!

Satisfied with the response her purposeful enticement received, after allowing the gawking slayer a few more moments of ogling, Buffy cleared her throat in effort to refocus the girl's attention to a higher part of her anatomy, at least for now.

"You were saying?" Buffy asked impishly.

Faith shook her head slightly, warding off the perversion that was currently dancing around in her mind. Hitting on Buffy was the last thing she knew she needed to be doing right now with their friendship on such fragile ground. With another quick once over of what she could see, her lustful eyes finally rose to look at Buffy's face. Still a little stunned at the sight in front of her, Faith brought her dry hand up to scratch briefly at her head, "Oh, I um…about earlier, the way I ran out, I shouldn't have done that to ya," she said with a tired, heaved sigh. "I should've stayed and listened to whatever it was you wanted to say and just, you know…talked about. I just needed to clear my head I guess," she said with a shrug and nervously ran her hand roughly through her dark locks. "It's just that this whole weekend has just been one big cluster fuck and I don't know B…I just want," knowing she couldn't say what she really wanted, Faith searched her brain for the right words to say that would at least make things right.

She wanted to tell Buffy that she wished it all were real. The words of love and the promises of forever that they had made to each other. Faith wanted to tell Buffy how right it felt to be with her and hold her in her arms and kiss her like she was the only woman in the world, like she was hers. Faith's heart hammered in her chest and drummed in her ears as her fear of rejection made her throat tighten and caused her words to get lost on her tongue and choking down her heartfelt confession.

"What is it Faith? What do you want?" Buffy asked soothingly, trying to coax the other girl to open up to her, praying that she would.

Faith sighed heavily, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry…for being an asshole, that's all." Faith shook her head sadly, more so at herself for being a coward and refusing to take the leap of faith, but she couldn't risk losing Buffy. If all they would be were friends, then it's something Faith knew she had to live with. At least this way she knew she'd always have Buffy in her life, even if it wasn't the way she wanted.

"Thanks," Buffy said softly, trying to hide her disappointment. "So I'm guessing you've worked out whatever it was that got you so worked up?"

"More or less." Faith nodded slightly with a shrug and then looked at the blonde expectantly, her big brown eyes gleaming with hope and uncertainty. "Sooo….am I forgiven?" She questioned, her voice and posture uncharacteristically hesitant and unsure.

Buffy couldn't help the small smile that formed at the adorable, hopeful looking she was getting from other girl. She knew that given their past and all they had had been through, save for going all evil slayer again, there wasn't much of anything that she wouldn't forgive her for. "Aren't you always?" Buffy lightheartedly questioned back with a soft smile, wanting to put the brunette slayers mind at ease.

Faith released a relieved breath she didn't realize she was holding then winked playfully, her usual swagger and bravado back in place as a smirk played across her lips. She thought about how the relationship she and Buffy had now was so easy and carefree. There was no way she could screw it up now by trying to push more onto her.

"So this whole thing is for us, yeah?" Faith asked, looking around again.

"Yep," Buffy confirmed, still keeping an eye on the other slayer.

"Wicked. How long you been in there?" Faith asked, dipping her fingers back into the warm tub.

Buffy shrugged slightly, "Not that long, it was all set up right before I sent you that message and to be honest, I wasn't even sure if you'd come back or not so I decided to hop on in. Figured it was nice of them to do all this and I'd hate for it all to have been for nothing."

Faith frowned as she stared down at the water. It had been her intention to avoid the blonde slayer as much as she could; she hadn't planned on arriving back at their hotel suite until she thought Buffy was sound asleep. She sighed heavily when she thought back on how it had felt, how it still felt with the feeling that she was about to lose the best friend she'd ever had weighing heavily on her heart.

She knew the things that happened while they were under the spell weren't her fault, but she wasn't going to deny the fact that she liked doing them or wanted them to happen either. Nor was she under any delusion that she had even an inkling of a chance with Buffy of the "let's be more than friends" nature, which is why she never pushed it passed the point of harmless flirting.

However, now there was so much hanging over their heads. If things had ended after the spell had, they could chalk it up to slayers gone wild while under the influence of magic and maybe joked about it later. But the fact that things had taken place outside of the spell, the whole jealously bit when she saw Buffy dancing with someone else, then the kissing and grope-fest in the bathroom, the fact that they had actually gotten married and particularly the morning after and how she had tried to take things further with the blonde, Faith couldn't help but think she'd crossed the line and she didn't know if things would ever be the same between them.

Faith had felt her whole world crumbling down around her as she and Buffy stood on the terrace and Buffy explained what was to take place with Giles agreeing for them to stay another day to take care of the annulment. Her heart was breaking and any hope that she and Buffy could possibly be something more had passed when the spell ended, so Faith did something she thought she'd never have to do again where her blonde counterpart was concerned. She ran.

But at hearing the Buffy confess that she didn't think she'd come back if she asked, made Faith sick to her stomach. She didn't want Buffy thinking that she couldn't count on her or give her the impression that she was the same person that always ran away when things got rough or weren't going her way.

Faith looked up to find Buffy staring at her and she immediately started to silently berate herself for having run out to begin with. "C'mon B, you know there isn't much of anything I wouldn't do if you asked." She confessed.

Buffy smiled, "So I guess that means you won't say no to my invitation to join me?"

"Definitely won't be saying no to that," Faith easily returned the smile.

"Good, and besides, there's food…you like food." She stated, knowing the bottomless pit slayer never turned down an invitation of food.

Faith chuckled, "Yeah, I could eat," she said with a brilliant dimpled grin, while her eyes subconsciously flickered down towards the water where Buffy's crotch was then back up to meet the blonde's. Immediately after doing so, she wanted to slap herself upside the head because she was so not supposed to be going there. She was here to mend their friendship, not further push Buffy away with her crudeness.

Buffy couldn't help when her mind strayed to the naughty from the statement and the obvious glance. It made her blush and she averted her eyes briefly before looking back to the brunette. She definitely wasn't going to back down now, so instead she took the bait. "Well let's make sure that you do," she countered with her patent half smile, hoping to portray just as much sexual innuendo as she'd taken from Faith's words.

Faith only nodded, trying to restrain herself from saying the things her mind had conjured up about what she could be eating; after all she was trying to be the good slayer.

"Go get changed and I'll bring the food over." Buffy offered and silently thanked the PTB that Faith agreed to join her. With everything that had happened since they'd been there, she wasn't sure if Faith was ready to spend any considerable time alone with her. It seemed that if they weren't under a spell or they weren't drunk, Faith really couldn't get away from her fast enough.

"Sounds like a plan, B. I've wanted to try this bad boy out since I saw it when we got here." Faith agreed splashing her hand through the water once more before she stood. "But are you sure you're cool with me getting in there with you? I didn't pack a swimsuit and you know how I roll," Faith wiggled her brows suggestively. "Sure you could handle that? Don't wanna add any more traumas to your Vegas experience."

Her tone was teasing but Faith's main concern was not making Buffy feel any more uncomfortable than necessary around her. It seemed their few short days in Las Vegas had already changed so much between them and she definitely didn't want a repeat performance of this morning, so Faith knew she had to tread lightly.

Continuing to play along, Buffy allowed her eyes to sweep over the brunette's clothed form, "It's nothing I haven't seen before, F." She then chuckled at the flustered look she was able to pull from the normally sexually charged slayer. "But don't worry, I packed your suit, it's in my bag that's in the bathroom." Buffy smiled when she thought about the sight of the sexy slayer in the teeny red bikini that that she had picked out for her when they'd first moved to Cleveland. In hindsight, she now realized that even back then she appreciated and didn't fail to notice just how attractive Faith was.

"Well looks like you thought of everything," Faith smiled, but couldn't help wondering if Buffy was purposely flirting with her.

"Guess it's a good one of was prepared for this trip." Buffy grinned smugly.

"Yeah, you're a regular freaking Boy Scout B," Faith chuckled as she stood. "Be back in a few." She told her and walked back inside.

Buffy blew out a sigh and slumped further down in the tub. Now that the missing piece of her plan had arrived she had to admit that she still had absolutely no clue what she was doing. After working her mind into a frenzy, the whole setup had sprung to mind at the last minute after meeting with Willow and Kennedy before they had left.

After a brief breakfast with her friends, Buffy still had nothing. After learning that Faith was possibly only telling half-truths, Willow had suggested a date, to take Faith somewhere romantic and to show her the finer, mushier side of being with someone on a more than platonic level. The idea was for Buffy's intentions to become obvious and for them to talk things through. She felt certain that if Faith knew how Buffy felt, she'd come clean about the night before. Willow only hoped that Buffy feelings for Faith would override any thoughts of betrayal she knew her friend had a tendency of feeling whenever people she cared about tried to deceive her.

Kennedy on the other hand, had stuck with her previous assessment, but Buffy quickly threw away the idea of just simply having sex with Faith.

If this were to be the beginning of something new for her and the brunette slayer, Buffy certainly didn't want sex to the basis of how it all started. And although her and Faith had done the dinner and movie thing countless of times, it was never considered a 'date', so she wasn't sure how the other slayer would react if she figured out that's what Buffy meant it to be.

It wasn't until her friends had said their goodbyes and were on their way back to Cleveland did Buffy mope back up to hers and Faith suite, still without a clue as to how she wanted to approach the situation. As she entered the suite, she couldn't help the lonely feeling that washed over her at not having the other slayer there with her. So with a sorrowful pout, she padded through the suite to the bedroom and threw herself down on the bed.

After mulling over her options, Buffy had decided to improvise. They were in the honeymoon suite after all so she was sure she would have no trouble setting the mood for an unintentional "date". She only hoped her plan didn't end up disastrous and did irreparable damage to hers and Faith's relationship.

She didn't want to get her hopes up at the prospect that in a few short hours, she and the rambunctious slayer could be a lot more than just friends. She was sure that if she could get the beautiful brunette to just sit still long enough to listen to what she had to say, she could get her to open up as well.

And although sex with Faith still wasn't in the plan, it didn't mean that if things went her way, they couldn't venture into a little steamy over the clothes action.

Remembering the times things did get a little heated between her and the other slayer, Buffy moaned at the memories and how good it felt to kiss Faith and have her hands and lips wandering purposely all over her body. Buffy groaned as she turn and buried her head into her pillow and let out a muffled, frustrated yell because not only was she terrified of how things might turn out, she was missing Faith and now she was extremely turned on.

With an aggrieved sigh, Buffy turned on her side and reached up and pulled her pillow from under her head and tucked it between her legs hoping that the presence of something…of anything would provide her a little relief.

She slowly reached out and grabbed the pillow that Faith had been occupying since they been there and wrapped her arms around it, cradling the pillow against her body. She buried her face into the soft cushion that still held the lingering scent of the brunette on it and inhaled deeply, her nostrils being filled with the intoxicating scent that was purely Faith.

Thoughts of getting herself off with Faith's pillow pressed against her entered her mind, but it was fleeting. It somehow seemed perv-ish, plus the last thing Buffy wanted was the unpredictable slayer to coming waltzing back in while she pleasured herself while clutching a pillow. With another sigh and with Faith invading her senses and her mind, Buffy finally nodded off to asleep.

Buffy slipped out of the hot tub and slid her feet into her slippers and made her way over to the food cart. She had already made up her mind that she would forgo a table setting and make the hot tub the main setting for seduction. One could never go wrong with a hot tub involved, right?

Uncovering a few of the trays, Buffy turned her nose up upon seeing her choices. She had only ordered appetizers, something that could be easily fed to the ravenous slayer without a whole table getting in the way, but when she'd ordered, she'd told the person on the phone to put together an array of the finest the hotel had to offer. Now she wasn't so sure that'd been the wisest thing to do. Most of the stuff on the trays she didn't recognize and was sure was something she didn't want floating through her digestive system.

However, the butterflies that were fluttering around in her stomach didn't leave much room for food anyway, but knowing that Faith wouldn't be at all particular about what she ate, she decided to just bring the whole cart along and let the brunette have a go at whatever she decided. Buffy blushed and smiled shyly at the thought that she could be amongst the brunette's ravenous appetite tonight.

Deciding to sideline those types of thoughts, at least until after they've had "_the talk_", Buffy eyed the bottle of wine and debated on whether or not she should bring it along. She knew she needed to keep a clear head and not have a repeat performance of the previous night, but she rationalized that maybe she could use a little liquid courage and that it could also serve to get the guarded brunette slayer to loosen up and be more open to talking about her feelings as well.

With her mind made up, she scooped up the bottle and placed it on the cart and turned with the cart in tow and was startled to find that Faith was back and was already sitting in the tub. A rush of warmth washed over Buffy as Faith's smoldering brown eyes were transfixed on her, pinning her in place.

They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, with Faith's eyes slowly roaming over every inch of the tiny slayer's body. When the staring became too much, Faith turned her head, effectively breaking their gaze. She blew out a slow unsteady breath and slowly slid her body down so that her head dipped under the warm water. Just as quickly as she disappeared, she reemerged and ran her hands over her head to slick back her dark hair and wring out the excess water. She then ran a hand over her face hoping that the water would effectively mask the drool she was sure had formed from the full body view of Buffy in the bikini.

Buffy however, was still glued to the spot she was standing in. She felt as if the world had slowed and she was back in heaven as she watched Faith disappear into the water and reappear with it flowing down over her. Once again her mouth fell dry and she briefly wondered what twisted logic her brain was forming to make her mouth feel like the Sahara desert whenever she saw water clinging to the brunette's skin. She considered that she was developing some type of fetish that made the moisture on Faith's body seem like the only reprieve for her affliction.

"Something wrong B?" Faith's finally asked, her voice was low, making the sexy burr reverberate throughout Buffy's entire body and sending a jolt directly to her core, causing goose bumps to ripple across her skin. With her lips slightly parted, Buffy's breathing became labored and her heart was thundering in her chest as her body instantly started to respond to the sight before her. Her nipples tightened under the barely there fabric covering her breast, and the cooled, drying fabric between her legs was now saturated with her own heated moisture that seeped from her center.

"Uh yeah," Buffy responded. Faith frowned and was about to ask what the problem was, but upon seeing the confused look on the brunette's face, it prompted Buffy to move and she shook her head to ward off the haze she'd fallen into and she placed her shaky hands on the rim of the cart and pushed it forward as she began to walk towards the object of her affection. "I mean no. No…nothing's wrong. You just caught me off guard I guess, I wasn't really expecting you to be there when I turned around."

Faith's mouth slowly turned upward into a grin. "We get a few days off and you get all lazy on me. That's the second time I've caught you off guard B."

The last thing Buffy wanted was to seem nervous and inexperienced, even though that's exactly what she was. She wasn't use to being the pursuer when it came to courtship, but between the two of them, she knew it had to be her to make a move if she wanted Faith to take a possible relationship between them serious.

Coming to a stop at the edge of the tub, Buffy looked down at Faith, "Well that coming from another slayer doesn't make me feel quite as bad, especially when that other slayer is you. You're very good with the stealth."

"Was that a compliment, B?" Faith asked as she placed a hand over her chest, feigning shock.

"That was the truth F," Buffy said as she grabbed the champagne and held it out for Faith.

Faith took the item but look at it suspiciously, "Oh, I see what you're playing at. You trying to get me drunk again, B?" Faith asked with a sly grin.

"Like I would really need to," Buffy chuckled as she turned her attention back to the cart and once again went over her choices.

"You calling me easy?" Faith narrowed her eyes as she took in the blonde's profiled features.

Buffy eyes widened slightly as she registered how her reply could've been taking, especially giving how they'd woken up that morning. "No! Definitely not…_easy_," Buffy frowned slightly thinking about how true the statement was. "In fact, you're pretty big with the hard to read, and difficult definitely comes to mind," she mused referring to the predicament she found herself in with the brunette. Upon seeing Faith raise a curious brow, Buffy started to open her mouth to retract her latter statement as well. "W…well, I just meant that…that you can be stubborn sometimes and…and," Buffy stammered but was halted in her efforts to explain.

"Take it easy B," Faith raised her hands in what appeared to be a surrendering gesture, "I'm just messing with ya. Besides, drunk or not, you already know you can get it." Faith added in a wink and her trademark dimpled grin for full effect.

The comment flustered Buffy and she was glad that the low lightning didn't afford Faith with a view of her flushed features. She searched her brain for an equally brazen remark to relay just how much she did want 'to get it', but the only words her mouth could decipher from her mush for brains was a barely audible, "Yes, please." Upon seeing the questioning look on Faith's face, Buffy's blush deepened and she quickly turned her attention back to the food cart and hoped that Faith didn't hear her.

Faith of course took this as a sign that once again she'd gone too far with her innuendo, not that it wasn't true, but she was supposed to be toning it down for now and she could clearly see was embarrassing the little blonde. Was she really always this big of a tool?

"Shit," she mumbled under her breath and then decided a change in subject was in order. "So uh, what's on the menu?"

Buffy removed a few of the tops, once again debating on its contents. "They were supposed to be appetizers but they really don't look all that appetizing. I can make out cheese on this one, but I can't be entire surely. This one I think is some kind of meat, or it might be seafood, but again, not sure because I think it's winking at me and I'm positive it's not supposed to be doing that. Maybe we should slay them just to be on the safe side. These little toothpick thingies are perfect stake size for these little food demons."

Faith looked on, but her attention clearly was not on the food or whatever it was Buffy was babbling on about. As Buffy stood scrutinizing the food choices, Faith's eyes followed every move her slender body made. Her movements were graceful and her muscles were relaxed, a mere contradiction of the violence in which Faith knew she was capable of.

She marveled at how something she knew to be strong and so deadly was at the same time, so delicate and truly something to be worshipped. Faith shook her head and gave off a depreciating chuckle knowing that she'd never get a chance to do so. She finally lifted her eyes from Buffy's figure and realized she had been caught staring as she finally took in the confused expression on the blonde's face.

Getting the feeling that she was being watched and noticing the brunette had gone quiet and hadn't laughed at any of her attempts to be funny had prompted Buffy to look up to see why and caught Faith's lingering gaze. "What?" Buffy questioned, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. She knew the bikini was a little bold for her, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Now she wasn't so sure.

A lazy smile made its way across Faith's lips, and even though she'd been caught staring, she just couldn't bring herself to look away from the beautiful woman that was in front of her and decided to just say what was on her mind. "I seriously don't know what the fuck I was thinking when I picked that thing out," Faith chuckled again, "no scratch that, I know _exactly_ what I was thinking, but I have to ask Buffy. What's with the bikini? I thought you didn't like it, hell I didn't even know you still _had_ it."

Buffy wore a look of hurt as her cheeks became slightly tinged with a red hue from embarrassment and she took a step behind the food cart in an effort to shield herself. "I packed a lot of things Faith," she huffed, her embarrassment growing but also she was upset with herself that she chose to expose herself in such a way only to be made a fool of. "And I guess I didn't really know what to expect once we got here so I just threw it in too, and I don't know," she shrugged as she fumbled with some of the various items on the cart, refusing to look at the other slayer, "I needed something to wear in the hot tub because it seemed like a bathing suit moment and…and there it was. W…what's wrong with it?"

"Oh there's definitely nothing wrong with it B; hell I picked it because I know it'd be wicked hot on you. I just never took into account just _how _hot you would be in it."

Buffy allowed a half smile to cross her lips; she dropped her gaze for a second before looking up shyly through her lashes at Faith. "You think I'm hot?"

Faith chuckled, "C'mon B, you know you're gorgeous. But that right there is the problem girlfriend, because there's no way I'm allowing you to wear that thing in public. Even I have my limits at how much of the goodies I want you showing."

Buffy felt relieved that her prior assessment of Faith's reaction to her in the garment wasn't wrong. She also felt giddy over Faith's words, loving the possessive nature the brunette was displaying. "Allow?" She asked curiously and raised inquisitive brow.

"Damn right. Like it or not, you're still the wifey B, so that means I'm the only one that gets to ogle the goodies." Faith explained, probably a little more serious than she was intending.

Buffy chuckled, "So I take it you're the jealous type?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe," Faith answered without hesitation and like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And just because you're divorcing me doesn't mean….,"

"I'm not divorcing you," Buffy quickly interjected.

"Huh?" Was the less than brilliant reply from the brunette while her face scrunched adorably in confusion.

"I'm not divorcing you, we're getting an annulment. There's a difference." Buffy felt the need to explain.

Faith shrugged, "Well either way it means you don't want to be married to me anymore."

Buffy opened her mouth to interrupt again to defend herself and point out that it was a mutual decision. However, the purposeful way Faith had worded the statement left her confused and she wasn't exactly sure what to make of the comment and or how she should even respond to it.

Yes, it was a mutual decision but it wasn't one that Faith hadn't allowed them to talk through before she had gone silent and then ultimately ran off. But was there really any other decision to be made on the matter? She knew she wanted to be with Faith in a more than friendly way, but did she really want to stay married to her? And the way Faith had worded her comment made it seem as though Buffy was the initiator in the annulment. So did that mean she didn't agree with the decision?

Buffy's shoulders sagged slightly; this was just what she needed, more complications regarding her nonexistent relationship with Faith thrown into the mix. They weren't even dating yet and she now had to contemplate the fact that if they did manage to get everything laid out on the line tonight, just how would being married factor into their newly minted relationship.

"So just because we won't be married anymore it doesn't mean I still won't have ex-spousal rights." Faith's rant continuance brought Buffy out of her musing and she decided to just indulge the girl instead of bringing on such a heavy conversation right now.

"Ex-spousal rights?" Buffy fought the smile that was threatening to break out on her face and encouraged Faith to continue. "You care to explain just what those rights will be."

Faith moved around so she was facing Buffy and leaned her arm that was still clutching the bottle of champagne in her hand over the back of hot tub. "Well for starters, it means I get to pull the jealous ex card, and that entitles me to deliver some serious pain to anyone who even looks like they want to hit on you. Assholes need to respect the position when we're together, ya know?"

Buffy only nodded in agreement and waited for Faith to continue, because if she had learnt anything from all their time together, she knew she wasn't done.

"And since we're still going to be living together that means I get to cock block like a mother fucker. So don't even think about bringing any beef sticks home, Princess." Faith explained pointedly, a playful grin playing across her lips.

"Oh no," Buffy laughed at the adorable rant and threw up her hands in mock surrender, "I wouldn't dream of it. But really, who says it has to be some beef stick I'd want to bring home?" Still chuckling, Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and threw out what she perceived to be a valid question.

"I stand corrected, beef sticks _or_ demons," Faith ribbed, knowing the blonde had a knack for boinking the undead.

"Ha ha," Buffy stated dryly, clearly not finding the funny but decided to ignore the comment. "Anyway, tell me how does any of this differ from the way you've always been, before these ex spousal rights came into existence?"

Faith feigned shocked at the questions. "Hey now, don't go blaming me cause you can't get laid B, that's all on you girlfriend!"

"What! I don't have any problems with getting laid, thank you very much."

"What? You are so not getting any," Faith stated with confidence. Then she narrowed her eyes when Buffy remained silent. "Are you? When? With who?" Faith questioned, her eyes fixed on the blonde. She was seriously wondering how the petite blonde had managed to pull a disappearing act long enough to get wriggly with someone and her not know about it.

"I said that I didn't have any problems in that department, not that I _was_ because we both I can't bring anyone home or talk to anyone anywhere without you going on Crogmag girl on me. I mean seriously, what's next? You going to start beating on your chest and dragging me by the hair too?"

"Hey, if that's the type of kink you're into, you know I'm down for whatever, B" Faith replied with a wiggle of her brows.

"Oh you have no idea about the kind of kink I'm into F, but if you play your cards right I just may let you find out." Buffy quipped and raised a challenging brow as she walked towards the hot tub with a little sway in her hips.

Faith wasn't expecting Buffy's retort, so to say that Faith was surprised by the comeback would be an understatement. She hid it well and her face was the picture of calmness as she watched Buffy's enticing figure slowly make its way into the hot tub with a champagne flute in hand.

Instead of sitting where she had been before, which was on the other end of the hot tub, Buffy opted to take a seat directly next to Faith, practically sitting on top of her. This was something that didn't go unnoticed by the brunette, but it was something she wasn't going to complain about either.

"There's only one glass…why's there only one?"

"Because there's only one of you. I'm going cold turkey on all things that make Buffy not remember and anything of the alcoholic variety definitely falls into that category."

Faith narrowed her eyes and a smirk played at her lips, "I'm still convinced that you're just trying to get me drunk, but whatever," she shrugged and shook her head at the offered glass. After all, if she was drinking the bottle alone, why not go at it cowboy style.

"Yes….my evil plan has been unfoiled, now open it already," Buffy motioned to the still unopened bottle of champagne in Faith's hand.

Finally breaking eye contact, Faith looked down at the bottle in her hand, her dimples appeared mischievously, "Yeah yeah relax Blondie; I'll pop your cork."

Buffy felt the ever present blush work its way over her already heated skin, but she refused to let Faith one up her in the game she was supposed to be playing. "I was wondering when you would…thought maybe I'd have to draw you map or something."

Faith rolled the comment around in her mind. Buffy was definitely flirting with her and it wasn't in her usual playful 'don't even think you're getting in my pants right now because I'm kidding' way. Faith was use to that type of playful banter that she and Buffy always engaged in. She would say something crass or sometimes genuinely adorable and most of the times the blonde slayer would say something equally engaging, but usually it was accompanied by a blush, that dreamy half smile and a playful swat to an arm and a need for Buffy to change the subject as quickly as possible.

However, the more Faith looked at it, something just seemed…different. The atmosphere screamed of romance and Buffy was half naked in the hot little number she had picked out for her and was sitting practically in her lap.

Right now it seemed like Buffy was giving her all the green lights that lit up the Vegas Strip. And here she was trying to play it cool, even though she knew she'd never be able to do that completely, because as far as she was concerned there was just no turning off that part of her brain whenever the little blonde bombshell was around.

But right now she couldn't tell if it was just her overactive imagination or hormones that had her thinking the way she was, because at the moment, Buffy was looking at her with a perfectly raised sculpted brow, her lips were parted slightly allowing her tongue to slowly dart out and wet them before retreating back inside of her perfect little mouth before displaying that taunting perfect little half smile that never ceased to have Faith tripping over herself. Oh yeah, Buffy was definitely giving her that 'you want to jump my bones and I'd so let you right now' look and it was driving her all kinds of crazy.

Deciding to continue to play it cool just in case she was indeed reading this whole thing wrong, and she continued to make their Vegas vacation into an even bigger nightmare for Buffy, Faith just turned her attention to the bottle.

"Well technically since I'm drinking this alone, it's kinda like I'm popping my own cork here B. Not that I'm not use to that by now, but I'm just saying."

"All you have to do is ask Faith," Buffy supplied helpfully with a teasing smile as her hand lightly brushed over the top of Faith's and her thigh pressed more against the brunette's.

Faith's hands stopped what they were doing for a split second as her heart took that moment to skip a beat, and then it resumed its natural cadence and allowed the rest of her body to continue what it was doing. She clumsily fumbled with the foil and the wire cage on the bottle, loosening it before placing both thumbs at the head of cork and applied pressure. As if the PTB were making a joke of the situation, the cork went airborne with an audible pop and the liquid began to fizz over the rim of the bottle in thick steady flow.

"Shit," Faith mumbled lowly and on instincts she brought her mouth to the bottle to catch the escaping liquid.

"Oh that's charming," Buffy teased as she watched the brunette soak up the champagne with those delectable lips.

"You know me B," Faith answered in between sipping up the champagne, "Charming's my middle name," she grinned as her tongue darted out to catch the liquid that dribbled down over her bottom lip and onto her chin.

Buffy watched as the pink muscle taunted her in its slow descent over the full bottom lip and retreated back into Faith's mouth. Thoughts of seeking out the delectable flesh crossed her mind but instead she rolled her eyes dramatically with a smile tugging at her lips. "Oh great, another name I don't know about."

"Oh c'mon B, you seriously didn't know my last name?" Faith asked as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"You never told me!"

"That's because you never asked!"

"There are plenty of things I don't ask that you offer up. Besides, everyone else seemed to have known. Why didn't you want to tell me?" Buffy pouted and shuffled impossibly closer to Faith.

Faith rolled her eyes seeing as Buffy decided to pull out another piece of the kryptonite, the pout. "C'mon girl, you know it's not like that. It honestly never even crossed my mind. Besides, not _everyone_ knows it." At Buffy's incredulously look, Faith continued. "Seriously B, only a few people I know of actually do and it's not because I went around making introductions."

"Like who?" Buffy questioned.

"Well, Angel only found out when he went digging around when he was dealing with my prison record and that whole legal matter. Giles, because well, he's part of The Council and I'm sure they know more about me than even I do."

"Yeah, The Council's freaky that way," Buffy provided. "But I guess I just feel silly not knowing after all this time. Even Willow and Kennedy know and we all live in the same house together!"

"Well I'm pretty sure, K only knows by association because Red never fully trusted me even after I came back to help out with The First. So I'm pretty sure she did some digging around to see if she needed to ship my ass off somewhere where I'd never be found before she allowed me to tag along with you guys to Cleveland and anywhere near you."

Buffy laughed and turned more into Faith, her hand slipped into the water and rested against her abdomen, "You know that's not true, Willow adores you."

Faith willed herself not to react to the touch; instead she took a long swig from the champagne bottle and pretended to be thinking about what Buffy said. She looked over at Buffy with a grin, "Eh, I guess that would explain why she's shacked up with Junior. The dark hair, dark eyes, the attitude...you think it's me she's thinking about when they…you know," she finished with a suggestive wiggle of her brows. "Or maybe Red wants a threesome, a little double slayer action…can you imagine?"

"I really can't," Buffy deadpanned.

Faith laughed, "No, I don't suppose you would, but you do know what they say about threesomes, right B?" Faith wiggled her brows again.

"No I don't know and I'm sure I don't want too, but if I know you, you'll tell me anyway."

"Threesomes should _always_ be had with a stranger, so I guess that means Ken's just gonna have to sit this one out."

"You really want me to kick your ass right now don't you?" Buffy asked, moving away from the teasing slayer, but she didn't go far.

"What? You jealous B? Afraid your bestie wants to get it on with me?" Faith asked with a grin then took a sip from the bottle.

"Willow has her own slayer, so mine is definitely off limits to her and any _strangers_ that want to _get it on _with you. And threesomes are most definitely off limits." Buffy stated, realizing a split second to late what she had just implied. She knew she couldn't take it back, and quite frankly she didn't want too. It was now or never and the thought of Faith being with someone that was not her wasn't something she wanted to entertain. She just had to sit back now and wait to see how the brunette responded.

As the statement was made, Faith was in mid-lift with her bottle but it fell short of reaching her lips as she held it there for a brief second and let sink in what Buffy had just said before a small hint of a smirk crossed her lips before she finally brought the bottle to her lips to drink. She wasn't sure if Buffy had meant for it to come out the way it had. Then she realized that the blonde wasn't freaking out or trying to make excuses and cover up her statement and she definitely wasn't about to let her.

"You calling me yours Buffy?" Faith asked, chancing a sideways glance at the now quiet slayer.

"Maybe," Buffy answered tentatively.

"Maybe? That ain't a yes B, so I guess that means yours truly is still fair game, yeah?" Faith turned fully to look at Buffy with a challenging brow raised.

"It wasn't a no either!" Buffy huffed. "And why is it you get to go all fatal attraction girl on me but you get to be _fair game_?"

"C'mon Buffy," Faith laughed, "You know I've been like a fucking nun since we started hanging. You're really cramping my style Blondie and my hands!"

Buffy rolled her eyes and scoffed before crossing her arms over her chest and sliding further away from Faith.

"Ah c'mon B, I'm only kidding!" Faith told her, unable to keep the smile off her face. "And put that away," she gestured to Buffy's bottom lip that was irresistibly on display, "you're breaking my heart with that thing."

"Well stop making fun of me," Buffy continued to pout.

"Okay, okay…I'm sorry. No more teasing you, I get it." Faith conceded. "Now get back over here, I'm kinda missing you already." It was Faith's turn to pull a pout.

Buffy gave the brunette a suspicious look before relenting and sliding back over to press into Faith's side.

"There's my girl," Faith cooed as she threw an arm over the back of the tub behind Buffy.

Both slayers were quiet, but content just to be in the others presence. Buffy finally settled more into Faith, curling slightly against her and laying her head against her shoulder and bringing her arm to wrap around her midsection.

"Soooo," It was Faith that finally broke the silence, "You gonna tell me what you were talking about B?" Faith asked curiously. It was one thing to see some obvious signs that Buffy was possibly trying to flirt with her, but it was another thing entirely too actually hear her say that she wanted her, which, by the way, wasn't something that the blonde slayer had said…yet. But Faith wasn't stupid, she knew what was being implied; or at least she hoped she knew but either way, there was no way she was going to let Buffy back out of it now, she just needed a little more clarification on the matter.

"I think you already know what I'm talking about F." Buffy countered, her confidence growing as she glanced up at Faith.

"C'mon Buffy, you know I'm a little slow sometimes."

"Only a little? I think you underestimate yourself way to much Faith."

Faith narrowed her eyes at this and brought her arm down to gently poke Buffy in the side. "What gives Princess?"

"Fine," Buffy sighed in faux annoyance and moved to straddle the brunettes lap. "It seems like I may need to draw you a map after all."

The bold move caught Faith off guard. She was expecting there to be more bantering between the two of them, which would eventually lead to Buffy getting pissed off or embarrassed, which would ultimately leave it up to her to make the first move. However, it seemed the blonde beauty had grown a pair and was clearly taking the initiative.

This definitely wasn't playing out how the brunette had intended, it was about a million times better because here Buffy was sitting on top of her, the heat from the water giving no pretense to heat she could feel pressed up against her thighs.

Buffy gazed into Faith's stunned eyes and started threading her fingers back through damp hair and idly playing with the curls that had started to form at the edges, while her other hand gripped her shoulder. "Is it getting a little clearer for you?" Buffy's voice took on a low and sexy tone that sent a shiver through Faith's body.

Faith composed herself as she casually moved to sit the bottle she held tightly in her grip at the edge of the tub, then her hands slid sensually down over bare sides, her eyes following where her hands went before settling them down in the water on slender hips. She looked up at Buffy with a grin. "Yeah B, I think I may be starting to get it."

"Do you?"

"Yeah, you about to give me that lap dance you promised?" Faith asked teasingly, her adorable dimples deepening as she grinned.

"Oh god, you're not going to let me forget that are you?" Buffy couldn't help but laugh and run her hands over Faith's cheeks at her answer.

"Me, forget about that? The chances are about zero to none on that one girlfriend."

"I didn't think so," the blonde chuckled, "and it's not 'girlfriend' anymore, I've been upgraded remember." Buffy emphasized by bringing her left hand up in front of Faith's face and wiggling her fingers, showing that she was still wearing the ring.

"My mistake _wifey_," Faith grinned and grabbed the hand and planted a kiss on it.

"Now guess again," Buffy urged.

"Hmmm," Faith narrowed her eyes and appeared to be thinking it over as she took another look around at the layout of the terrace. First there was Buffy waiting for her in a hot tub, all the food that had been long forgotten, the candles flickering softly around them and the incredibly sexy barely dressed figure now sitting on top of her. She turned her focus back to Buffy and feigned shocked. "Mrs. Lehane, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?"

Buffy laughed at the classic question, but knew she couldn't deny it. So instead, she answered in the best way to leave no room for her intentions to be mistaken. She cupped Faith's face in her hands and planted a series of chaste kisses on her lips.

Faith's own hands rose in imitation to cup Buffy's face as she kissed her back.

Both girls were tentatively pressing their lips against the other's giving sweet, open-mouthed kisses while being careful not to put too much into it just yet, both fearful that it would be too much and cause the other to retract.

It wasn't until Buffy slid her hands up the side of Faith's neck then wrapped both arms around it, effectively pulling their torsos closer together that a moan was pulled from the blonde and her tongue slipped past Faith's more than inviting lips deepening the kiss. Faith's own hands had now taken up their previous position on Buffy's hips.

Buffy hungrily drove her tongue inside of Faith's mouth while she pressed her body tighter against her. Their tongues dueled for dominance in a heated battle, neither girl wanting to give up an inch to the other. After what seemed like a lifetime, Buffy felt Faith give slightly as the brunette settled back against the tub's wall and the grip on her hips lessened while her fingers began a soft kneading.

The blonde slayer saw this as a sign of surrender and triumphantly took Faith's full bottom lip between her teeth to nip and suck on it. Her hands left Faith's face and slid down over her neck and shoulders then slid into the water before beginning a slow path back up over her neck and finally resting back down on her shoulders. She then kissed her way down the slender neck to lick and sucked at the moisture that had been left behind purposely by her hands.

Faith tilted her head slightly and groaned in pleasure at the feeling of the other girl's tongue against her heated skin.

Feeling the vibration of the noise the brunette was making turned Buffy on even more as her tongue collected the droplets of water on Faith's hot skin, causing her to let out an answering groan of her own and sucking harder against the slender neck, marking Faith like she had previously done to her.

With her newly found fetish playing out and turning into a much deeper burning need, suddenly, Buffy's 'no sex" theory had flown right out the window and was hitting her dead smack between her legs. She now wondered how she even believed the notion was possible with the very sexy and dripping wet slayer underneath her.

Faith wrapped an arm around Buffy's waist, while the other slid up and braced the back of her neck, urging her back to her waiting mouth for another much needed kiss. Although she remembered every delicious detail of ever kiss that her and the blonde had shared while under the pretense of the spell, like how Buffy's tongue brushed softly against her own, and the way she moaned sexily into her mouth, this time was completely different.

It was different because this time, Buffy seemingly was doing it on her own free will and with as much, if not more passion as she had before, it was like she couldn't get enough.

After several moments of passionate kissing and slippery groping, surprisingly, Faith was the one who found the strength to pull away from the kiss and thwarted any further attempts from the blonde to start back up.

Buffy leaned back slightly with an off-put look as she felt the soft hands that were resting against her skin pull way as well. She watched as Faith leaned back against the wall with a heavy sigh and run a hand slowly over her face before she ran them smoothly over her head. She then sprawled her arms over the back of the wall and finally opened her eyes to look at the confused expression Buffy wore.

The blonde was breathing heavy and her kiss swollen lips were begging to be taken again, and even though she knew she would probably kick her own ass later for stopping, Faith needed answers.

"You know you're my best girl B. We always tell each other shit, because that's what we're all about now right? No more secrets and real talk, yeah?"

Buffy nodded mutely, wondering where Faith's line of questioning was going and more importantly why it had to start right now.

"This isn't another spell is it?" Faith had to ask, not wanting a repeat of the heartbreak she'd felt after Buffy freaked out when the spell had ended before.

Buffy shook her head adamantly.

Faith nodded slightly, but she was still unconvinced. "Well it's not like we would know if it was anyway right?"

With a shaky sigh, Buffy sucked in a huge gulp of air trying to catch her breath after just having it taken away. "This isn't a spell Faith," she finally found her voice. "Willow assured me that everything was back to normal before she left this morning. Besides, you didn't even want to be here. You were gone remember? If this were really another spell I wouldn't have had to ask you to come back."

Faith nodded, "Good point but also not the truth."

"What?"

"What you said…it isn't true. I did want to be up here with you. I just didn't think you wanted to see me after I ran out on you earlier."

Buffy's moved to sit back slightly on Faith's lap and her hands moved into the water to rest against her thighs. "I know you go to the extreme sometimes Faith, but that doesn't mean I like when you aren't around."

"Okay, so if this isn't a spell, are you're sure you didn't sneak into the mini bar while I was gone? We both know you and alcohol should be kept as far away from each other as possible." Faith asked with a smirk playing at her lips, still thinking all of this was too good to be true.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "No, I haven't been drinking. I told you I was done with that for now. Most of this trip I've been either not acting on my own or can't remember, I'd like to have at least a little bit of control over some aspect of it, this moment being one of them."

"So we're both sober and seem to know what we're doing…okay, that's all in check, but why are you doing all of this?" Faith asked matter of factly, still unconvinced that something wasn't going to go wrong.

Buffy was at a loss for words, and on top of that she was embarrassed that she'd gone through so much effort and finally put herself out there to the other slayer, only to end up looking and feeling like a complete fool.

When all Faith got was stunned silence, she continued. "It's not that I'm complaining or anything because that was wicked hot, but what's the what Buffy? You're all about driving stick and fawning over the pretty boys."

"Let's be for real Faith, we both know I haven't driven _anything _since…" Buffy cut off her sentence at the murderous look Faith was now giving her, "since he who shall remain nameless." Buffy quickly said, knowing that Faith hated Spike, she had ever since she'd come back to help out with The First. She remembers Faith telling her that she regretted that she never staked him when they had that fight after she was kicked out of the house that night.

"Okay, but still…since when do you kiss chicks, B?" Faith stubbornly kept at it. Although Buffy gave off that vibe that she definitely could be into her, other than the copious amount of making out and groping they did while under the spell, the blonde slayer never showed any interest in dating women.

There was no way she was going to misread all of this only to have Buffy regret it later. Even if she felt angry at herself for not just taking what she wanted, she had to be sure Buffy was 100% sure about what she was doing.

Buffy thought things over carefully. This was what she wanted, to finally have _the talk_ with Faith. They could finally put all of the not knowing behind them and get to the truth of it all. That truth being, did they really want to be together as more than just friends?

Even though this was the whole point of tonight, but when it came down to it, Buffy had to admit that she was afraid. She was afraid that Faith really did only want to remain as friends and only respected her enough to stop before things got out of hand. After all, it was the brunette who had put a halt to some hot and heavy kissage, and seriously, who does that if you're into someone?

Buffy sighed as she felt the confidence she'd felt earlier dissipate. She wanted to just tell Faith that she was in love with her and that that was her reasoning for doing all of this but her fear of being rejected came at her full force. She knew Faith was attracted to her physically, but a physical attraction didn't mean she wanted a relationship.

"Well I don't kiss '_chicks_' Faith, I kissed you, or at least I was until you stopped," Buffy pouted.

Faith couldn't help but chuckle at the cuteness that the blonde was displaying, but she wouldn't be deterred. "The last time I checked I was a chick B, so you gotta give me something a little bit more here."

"I _am _trying to give you something, but you want to be conversation girl. Since when do you want to talk things over?"

"Since I thought that was what _you_ wanted!"

"That was then."

"And now?"

"And now?" A small smile tugged at Buffy's lips, "Now I think I found a much better use for your mouth."

Faith couldn't help but chuckle at Buffy's answer, "Okay…so once again you argue a good point B."

"I usually do," Buffy responded with her patent half-smile in place and while her hands moved to toy with strings on Faith's bikini under the water.

Faith felt Buffy's fingers sliding across her skin and slipping dangerously close to her mound and she wondered just where all of this was leading too. "What do you want from me Buffy?" Faith's voice was thick and husky with desire as her resolve began to shatter. She was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and she didn't know why she was starting now.

Actually she did know why. It was because she couldn't stand the thought of losing Buffy or having her look at her with regrets. But with the way Buffy was looking at her and the way her hands were touching her, she was done with questioning the blonde's motives and decided to just follow her lead instead.

"Well we did have a deal, you know?" Buffy stated cryptically as her hands came up to roam over Faith's abdomen and softly brushing the underside of her breasts.

Faith's breath hitched at the touch. "A…a deal?" She managed to croak out.

"Yep…I did say that if you married me, you could have me," Buffy answered coyly, looking up at Faith through her lashes.

Faith's brows shot up into her hairline, not believing what Buffy was proposing. She figured at best that Buffy would only want to continue with the making out and some heavy petting before shutting it down, but the little slayer was actually suggesting that they fucked and Faith really couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"And since you fulfilled your end of the deal, it's only fair if I did mine as well." Buffy's hands now were drawing patterns over Faith's chest and she raptly watched as the water that had transferred from her hands trailed a slow, tantalizing pattern down over Faith's ample chest and disappear into her cleavage.

"You serious B?" Faith asked, confusion showing in her features. She needed to be sure she wasn't just reading things incorrectly before she went and made a complete idiot of herself.

"I'm serious Faith," Buffy soothed, her hands coming up to smooth over the crease that had formed from the utterly adorable confused expression on Faith's face. "The way I see it," she moved her hands down to rest on the brunette's shoulders, "if I'm going to have a first time with a woman, what better woman for it to be with than my very own shiny new wife," Buffy explained. "It's also a good thing that person just happens to be you because there's no other person I'd rather share this with."

Faith was still looking at her with the confused expression. She didn't know what to think, or for that matter what to do. Even though she had been given the go ahead, she still couldn't believe what she was hearing and thought it was only a matter of seconds before she either woke up or Buffy came to her senses and ran far away from her as she could. Neither of those things happened though.

Buffy smiled and leaned in to place a kiss on the silent girl's mouth. "Did I break you?"

"Uh yeah…I think you may have B," Faith said, finally finding her voice. "But just in case I heard you wrong I think you're gonna have to put that sexy little mouth of yours on repeat."

"Take me, Faith. Right here, right now," Buffy stated plainly, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

And Faith did.

Buffy let out a small squeal of delight when Faith instantly moved her arms to wrap around her waist, picking her up and standing quickly to switch their positions. Buffy was now seated with her back pressed against the tub's wall and Faith was standing between her legs.

Buffy watched as dark eyes gazed intensely into her own, a mixture of fear and astonishment clearly on display in them. She felt Faith's hands move to hips as she moved in closer, stopping just inches before bringing their lips together, giving Buffy one last chance to back out.

Backing out was the furthest thing from the blonde slayer's mind and she reached up to cup the back of Faith's head and closing the remaining distance.

Faith wasted no time in deepening the kiss and pushed her tongue inside of Buffy's mouth while her hands came up to toy with the straps on Buffy's bikini. She pulled back and looked at deeply at the blonde again.

"Buffy?" Faith whispered, once again asking for permission to continue.

Buffy leaned in and placed a kiss on Faith's lips and brought her hands up to place over the ones that were holding onto the straps of her bikini. She moved Faith's hands to help push them off her shoulders.

"Please Faith, if you want this too, don't question it…just go with it, okay?" Buffy asked, but she felt like she was pleading, and in reality, she knew that she was because she wanted Faith to want this just as much as she did. Buffy waited until she felt Faith's hand moving on their own accord before hers fell away and letting the brunette continue.

Faith nodded as she slipped the straps down and placed soft kisses against Buffy's neck then down onto her shoulders before pulling the slip of fabric all the way down to reveal perk breast with hardened pink nipples waiting for her.

She licked her lips as her mouth watered at the sight in front of her and brought her hands up to trace slow patterns with her fingers around Buffy's breast before cupping them in her hands and then circling her thumbs slowly around the nipples.

Buffy pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and moaned in appreciation as goose bumps rippled over her skin at the touch. She released her lips and a rush of warm air left her mouth as Faith tweaked each nipple between her fingers.

Faith briefly looked up into hooded, lustful green eyes before she removed her hands and then reached behind Buffy to pick up the previously forgotten champagne bottle with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Buffy's eyes followed Faith's movements and a slight frown creased her brow as she looked back to the Faith, wondering why she was finding it necessary to have a drink at _this _moment. With her assessment of the brunette's actions clearly misunderstood, Buffy gasped as she felt the chill of the cool liquid being poured slowly over her. Her back arched and she threw her head back in pleasure when she felt Faith's warm tongue immediately follow and start lapping at the fizzing liquid that's was traveling the length of her torso.

Faith let the bottle float haphazardly in the water as she bent slightly to take a hardened nipple in her mouth to suck fervently on it before turning her attention to the other. She rolled her tongue around it before grazing her teeth over it and then covered the tight bud with her mouth to suckle. The action caused the blonde to hiss and grab onto Faith's head as she tousled her hair.

Faith pulled away and kissed her way up to Buffy's neck to nip and suck on it before she began licking and kissing her way back down between Buffy's breasts, making a path downward.

Buffy watched, transfixed as Faith's head disappeared under the water. She felt her legs being nudged apart and smiled down at the blurry figure in the water when she felt a tongue dip inside of her bellybutton. Her hands reached down to stroke Faith's head under the water, but a surprised gasp escaped and her hips buck as she felt the slayer's finger brushing against her sex to move the thin fabric covering it.

The finger lightly stroked over her clit before a second finger was felt stroking the throbbing nub between them. Buffy moaned loudly and her hips moved in rhythm with the stroking. Before she knew what was happening she was crying out into the night's air as she felt the unmistakable feel of Faith's tongue brushing against her clit. The feeling was short lived causing Buffy to whimper in disappoint while trying to hold Faith's head in place, clearly forgetting about the small detail that even slayers can't breathe under water. She began to pout as she watched the figure moved away from her.

The brunette re-emerged slowly in the center of the hot tub and Buffy felt the world around her disappear. Once again, she got to be privy to the sight of the water cascading over the dark beauty in front of her, the colors of the sunset bathing her and the red bikini top a perfect contrast against her tanned skin.

Buffy's was panting now, the sight doing nothing to calm her as she watched Faith bring her hands up to run them over her head, wringing out the water, then slowly running a hand over her face.

Faith smirked at Buffy's breathless reaction then raised a hand and extended her finger to beckon for the breathless slayer.

Buffy stood and slowly discarded the rest of her bikini and waded her way over and stood exposed in front of the brunette and rested her hands on her shoulders. Neither slayer had spoken a word since their "talk", the tension from what was about to happen heightening both girls arousal even further.

Faith's intense, hungry eyes roamed over Buffy's body with her hands soon following, saying everything she needed them to at the moment. One of Faith's hands roamed over Buffy's ass, alternating between sliding over it and between her cheeks while the other began a slow caress against her neck, causing the blonde to moan out and tilt her head back slightly. Faith dipped her head and ran her tongue over the exposed flesh, finding Buffy's pulse point and sucking on it.

"Faith," Buffy whimpered softly, they were the only words that had been spoken since they'd started, but her entire body was on fire and she needed more.

Sensing Buffy's need, Faith brought her other hand down to caress the firm ass and moved her lips to Buffy's to deliver a passionate kiss, wanting to devour her. Her hands slid down and grasped the back of Buffy's thighs urging her up.

Buffy complied immediately and jumped onto Faith and wrapped her legs around her waist without breaking the kiss and bringing her arms to wrap around the brunettes neck. Feeling one of Faith's hands release its grip and move between her legs, Buffy's eyes slammed shut and she moaned loudly throwing her head back, ultimately breaking the kiss as Faith slowly entered her with two fingers.

Faith groaned and her own eyes slammed shut at the feel of the slick heat inside of Buffy's tight channel. Her hand remained motionless and she felt Buffy's pussy clench and unclench around her fingers and for a moment, she wondered if the blonde was about to cum just from her entering her. She opened her eyes to watch the blonde's face and her heart clenched in her chest at just how beautiful Buffy really was and at the fact that Buffy was really giving herself to her.

"Buffy," Faith whispered softly, wanting nothing more than to look into gorgeous green eyes at that moment and for Buffy to look into hers while she fucked her. She wanted Buffy to see that it wasn't just that, but that she was giving her so much more. That she was offering her heart and soul as well. She watched as Buffy's eyes fluttered open to look at her. "Stay with me baby," Faith told her, the meaning behind the words meaning much more than Faith could convey at the moment.

Buffy nodded, her heart hammered in her chest and she brought a hand up to cup Faith's cheek, she ached to tell Faith that she loved her and longed even more to have Faith say the words in return, but not wanting to risk ruining the moment, especially when she was already so close from just the feeling of Faith being inside of her, she softly whispered back. "I'm with you, always."

Faith leaned in and delivered a sweet kiss against Buffy's lips before pushing her already knuckle deep fingers deeper inside of her.

Buffy cried out as her other hand came up to rest against the other side of Faith's cheek while pressing her forehead against hers.

Faith leaned in and plunged her tongue inside of Buffy's mouth as her fingers mimicked its movements, working in and out of her, feeling the tight passage stretching to her will. Buffy's legs tightened around her and Faith could feel Buffy pulling her in deeper as her hips begin and up and down motion against her hand.

Buffy groaned into the kiss but soon broke away from it unable to have her mouth restrained. She moaned out uncontrollably and threw her head back at the feel of Faith being inside of her and fucking her so deeply that it made her shiver inside each time her fingers brushed against her sweet spot when they slipped out and back in again.

Buffy's hand moved to grip onto the back of Faith's neck while the other clutched at her shoulder. The water started to lap around them as Faith's thrusts became harder and Buffy's hips matched her movements. She leaned back slightly and gazed into her lovers eyes and began riding her harder and faster, trying to bring her in impossibly deeper as she felt her orgasm stirring inside of her.

Faith's grip on Buffy thigh was almost bruising as she held onto the blonde riding her fingers with abandon. She leaned in and captured a nipple between her lips and circled her tongue around it before pulling it into her mouth and sucking hard on it.

That was all Buffy needed to go plunging over the edge. Her body stiffened, her hips slowed and her back arched as her orgasm washed over her causing her pussy to tingle and feel like it was melting in the most delicious way. She moved her hands to pull Faith's head up so she could look into her eyes as she came.

"That's it, B…let it go baby," Faith coaxed, feeling the blonde spasm and clenching around her fingers. Buffy moaned and whimpered as she began to come down from her high, and then finally let her head drop to Faith's shoulder with a shudder.

Faith could feel the tight grip Buffy's legs previously had on her begin to lessen and she grinned as she pulled out of the warm confines of her lover and readjusted her grip on her thighs to support her minuscule weight.

"Mmmm," Buffy groaned when she felt Faith's fingers slip out her and she wrapped her arms around her and buried her head into her neck.

"I gotcha baby," Faith whispered against Buffy's temple and placed a gentle kiss against it as she walked backwards until she felt her legs bump against the seat and sat down with Buffy still holding onto her. Faith closed her eyes as she leaned back against the tub's wall and rubbed her hands soothingly over the still spent girls back.

Even though her own body was screaming for some release, especially after the show Buffy had just put on, Faith decided she wasn't going to ruin the moment by trying to satisfy her own primal urges. She wrapped her arms tighter around her wife's body and basked in the feeling of having her there.

Faith turned to place another kiss on Buffy's temple and that's when the blonde started to stir. "Welcome back," Faith teased with a throaty chuckle and felt the movement of Buffy's smile against her skin.

Faith shivered when Buffy started placing small kisses along her neck. "That was amazing," the blonde appraised and then sat up and her arms rose over her head to pull her body into a stretch and let out a contented sigh.

Faith licked her lips and her eyes hungrily took in the sight of gorgeous, naked girl in her lap and her hands slid from around Buffy's and on her hips.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked huskily, her voice worn from its previous workout.

Faith looked confused at the question, not understanding why Buffy was asking her that.

"Well I didn't…you know, do anything to you, and…and I know you must be all kinds of worked up," Buffy began but was quickly cut off as Faith leaned in and kissed her.

Faith knew a babble-fest was about to begin so she quickly had to diffuse the situation. "After that? Hell yeah I am...but I'm fine B, and trust me…you did plenty babe. Way better than a lap dance let me tell ya."

Buffy blushed and wrapped her arms around Faith's shoulders and hid her face in her neck and groaned. "Again with the lap dancing," she laughed quietly.

Buffy raised her head and her hands came down to rest on top of Faith's and she took in the lustful eyes of the beautiful brunette. She smiled sexily before leaning in and placing a lingering kiss on Faith's lips, her tongue coming out to tease and lick over her bottom lip. She rained kisses down to Faith's neck and back up to trace the shell of her earlobe.

"Really B, we don't have to do anything else, I…ahhh," Faith was cut off as she felt Buffy's hand between her legs cupping her throbbing sex and her legs instinctively opened wider.

"Faith?" Buffy whispered sexily in the dark slayers ear.

"Buffy?" Faith managed to say.

"Take me to bed." Buffy demanded.

And Faith did.


	16. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: As promised...another chapter "soonish" and more sexy good times. Okay so maybe the sex wasn't implied but I just couldn't seem to stay away from it. I feel like I should be leaving a NC17 warning in my AN's when I post these types of chapters...haha...but the M rating on the front covers it. I'd like to take the time to say thank you to those anon reviewers that I can't personally respond to and say that your reviews are appreciated. This chapter is once again unbeta'd so I apologize in advance for any mistakes, I generally read over the chapter again after it's posted to see if I can catch any. And as always, I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Chapter 15**

* * *

The journey to through the suite was a rough one as Buffy stumbled through the suite, occasionally bumping into random pieces of furniture as she made her way to the bedroom with an eager Faith hot on her heels. She was pressed tightly against Buffy's back as her hands were roaming aimlessly under the robe Buffy had managed to slide on when her and Faith had finally managed to exit the hot tub. They alternated between cupping Buffy's sex, her breasts and trailing over her flat abdomen. Her mouth was attached to the blonde slayers neck as she licked and sucked a path from the area where her neck and shoulder met to the sensitive area just below her ear.

For the most part, Buffy did her best to stay upright and coherent while guiding them to their room as her own hands sought out contact with any part of the dark slayer that she could. Being at a disadvantage from her frontal position, she settled for bringing her arms up behind her to run her hands over the still wet locks on the brunette's head.

As Buffy's knees bumped against the edge of the bed, effectively halting their forward movement, she threw her head back to rest against Faith shoulder, giving her better access.

Faith wasted no time at the offering and sucked hungrily against Buffy's neck and her hands pushed their way inside of the robe to palm the pert breast she'd grown so fond of, eliciting a deep moan that rumble within the blonde's throat.

Bringing one of her own hands down to push between their bodies, Buffy pushed aside the soft fabrics of Faith's robe, seeking out her warm flesh. Her fingers trailed lightly over Faith's thigh and found its way to the edge of her bikini and pushed their way inside. Finding her prize, Buffy's curious fingers trailed a purposeful path through Faith's moistened fold, sliding effortlessly between them.

Faith moaned against Buffy's neck, her hips moving against Buffy's hand on their own accord.

Buffy smiled at the searing heat she felt between the other girls legs, pleased that she could affect the sexually brazen slayer just as much as she was affecting her. She marveled at how wet Faith was for her and even though she knew she was a fish out of water when it came to having sex with a woman, with the very hot and sexy slayer she now literally held in the palm of her hand, she was more than eager to learn. Her fingers slipped over Faith's clit, causing the brunette to release the hold she had on the slender neck and she rested her head against Buffy's shoulder.

"Oh fuck," Faith groaned lowly as her hips bucked against the soft touch, desperately seeking out more contact with her lovers nimble fingers.

Buffy's finger slowly circled the bundle of nerves and she smiled pleased with herself at the pleasurable sounds escaping Faith's mouth. It gave her the confidence she needed to press forward. In a bold move, Buffy's middle finger slid further back and pressed against Faith's seeping entrance, teasing it as she applied more pressure. She bit back a groan of her own and clutched her bottom lip between her teeth at the resistance she felt from how tight Faith was. Buffy knew that it had been a while, according to her calculations and she hoped they were correct, since Faith had had sex. The brunette had made no attempt to hide the fact that the time she spent with the blonde had seriously put a damper in her sexual escapades; however, she didn't seem all that disappointed when she teased her about it.

In hindsight, Buffy wondered if it was her that the brunette was waiting for, seeing as she was here now about to let her have her way with her. With a new found confidence and burning desire pulsating through her, Buffy's slicked her finger over Faith's hole, wanting to fill and open her dark lover as she had done with her.

Feeling the boldness in Buffy's actions, Faith shakily reached down and grabbed hold of her wrist, the other clutching at her hip, halting Buffy's movements. Buffy turned to look over her shoulder trying to figure out why Faith had stopped her.

"What're you doing B?" Faith asked her eyes were squeezed tightly shut and her voice came out shaky and barely above a whisper as she desperately tried to catch her breath.

"If you really have to ask then that means I'm definitely doing it wrong," Buffy responded, trying not to sound disappointed as she turned around.

"Trust me when I say there's nothing wrong on your end B." Faith assured her, opening her eyes to look to into confused green orbs. "I'm just wondering if you're still sure you wanna be doing this."

"Normally this whole conversation happens before the nakedness and the hands in wonderful places, but if I remember correctly, which may not be the case considering my brain is still trying to pull itself back together from you turning my body into a puddle of gooey Buffy goodness," Buffy seemed to be thinking it over, "but yep…yep, I think we have. But if this is some weird sex game you're playing then I guess I'll just have to play along." Buffy smiled sweetly and sent a sexy wink Faith's way.

Faith chuckled lowly and rested her forehead against Buffy's temple and spoke directly into her ear. "Not playing any games here Buffy…just don't want you to feel pressured into doing something you're not ready for…need to be sure is all."

Buffy nodded slightly and shivered at the feel of the warm breath tickling her ear. "Faith…you just popped my lesbian cherry, so if that doesn't convince you of my sureness then maybe you should let go of my hand so I can better assure you," Buffy stated with an air of confidence as she tried to break free of the slayer tight grip her wrist was in.

Even though it made her feel damn proud that she got to be a first for the former straight as an arrow slayer, Faith couldn't help the chuckle that escaped at the surprise of Buffy's usage of the terms 'popped' and 'lesbian cherry' all in the same sentence and it was all the convincing she needed. Her grip had lessened while she was stuck in cherry popping land and allowed Buffy to once again slide her fingers over her hot core. An indignant squeal left the brunette's lips as she readjusted her grip on Buffy's wrist. "C'mon B, ease up girl…I can't let you do that," Faith told her as she tugged on her wrist, removing it from between her legs.

"Why not?" Buffy asked, still not understanding what the problem was.

"Because you didn't really think I was done with you yet, did you?" Faith asked with a sexy smirk accompanied with a raised brow. She brought Buffy's saturated finger up to her own lips and sucked on it, groaning around the digit as she slowly slid it in and out of her mouth.

Buffy's lips parted as a strangled moan escaped and her eyes glazed over as she watched Faith's mouth. "No fair," she whined, her bottom lip extending in an adorable pout, "that was mine."

With a grin, Faith removed her finger and leaned in and sucked the lip before she slid her tongue inside of Buffy's mouth. The blonde received it eagerly, bringing her hand up to cup the back of Faith's head, holding her in place as she sucked on the offered treasure. She moaned into the brunettes mouth as she sucked harder, loving the taste of Faith from her own tongue. Buffy groaned disapprovingly when Faith pulled back and out of her reach.

"You're just gonna have to wait your turn babe," Faith whispered huskily, her lips brushing softly across Buffy's then she grabbed ahold of her shoulders to turn her back around.

"But I want…," Buffy started, but her attempt to tell Faith she wanted to know if she was just as hot on the inside as she was out was cut off as her lover pulled the robe off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Buffy inhaled sharply as the cool air of the room washed over her heated flesh.

"You will," Faith answered, knowing she wouldn't deny Buffy anything. "But right now I just want you so damn bad." She explained as her hands roamed passionately over the perfect, naked form in front of her while she nipped at an earlobe.

The gravelly tone of the brunette's voice was thick with need and want causing Buffy to whimper in anticipation. She moved her hands, one gently nudged the back of Buffy's neck and the other hand was against her hip and urged her forward onto the bed.

Buffy complied immediately, her hands pushing into the soft cushion pulling herself forward to bring her knees up and onto bed until she was on all fours at the edge of the bed.

Faith halted her from moving forward, wanting her to stay right where she was. "Oh yeah, just like that B," Faith rasped as her hands and eyes slowly roamed over Buffy's ass, the sight made her heart thud even harder in her chest as her desire for the woman of her dreams burned even hotter. Her hands continued their movements over Buffy's cheeks, her thighs and along her back. "Fuck you're so hot," Faith appraised as her hands move on their own accord.

It amazed her that the incredibly beautiful form in front of her was still here with her, giving herself to her and about to let her have her naughty way with her again. Her heart felt full as she leaned in and placed kisses along the small of the blonde's back, down over her hips and over her ass, nipping and scraping her teeth along the skin as she went, with her hands not too far behind. Running both hands over the smooth flesh in front of her once again, Faith's quickly shedded her own robe, the heat in the room becoming to much and her knees hit the carpeted floor with a soft thud.

Buffy turned her head at the sound. Her lips parted and her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of Faith on her knees behind her. Any other time, being so exposed would've made the blonde feel uncomfortable and embarrassed from being in such a position, but she groaned at the mental orgasms her brain conjured up, causing her body to move and her ass to sway slightly in reaction to the stimulation that was occurring in her mind. That coupled with the way Faith was looking at her while licking her lips and running her hands along her ass, all she could feel was an intense heat igniting between her thighs that was now turning blue.

Being out of the water, Buffy could feel just how wet she was now. Her pussy was still pulsating from the slayer force pounding it received only moments ago, yet it still she ached for more. The effects of her arousal seeped out of her center, begging to be taken again.

Faith wasted no time in doing so. The water didn't afford her with the heady scent that now filled her senses and made drunk with desire as she brought her nose close and breathed in. She let out a shuddered breath at the intoxicating scent and slid her hands over Buffy's ass again before bringing her hands up to part Buffy's hot sex with her thumbs, granting her better access of the soft, wet flesh and then ran her tongue the length of it.

"Mmmm," was the low rumble of approval from Faith's throat as the taste of the Buffy filled her mouth. She pulled back slightly to get another glimpse of the perfect, pink glistening pussy like it was almost too good to be true before she let out a shuddered breath, licked her lips and dove back in. Her mouth attached to Buffy's pussy, sucking harder like it was her last meal and she was starving.

"Faith…oh…oh Faith!" Buffy cried out as her arms nearly buckled from under her. Her hands clawed desperately at the bedding as she felt the talented tongue of the brunette slayer begin to work her over. She let out a deep throaty moan of her own when she felt Faith take her clit between her lips and suck hungrily on it before flattening her tongue against it and moving it back and forth. Buffy's breathing was labored as her mouth fell open in a silent cry from the sensation.

A long, deep moan vibrated within Faith's throat at the taste and feel of such an intimate part of Buffy in her mouth. She ran her tongue along the length of the blonde's sex in attempt to taste her everywhere at once. "Fuck B," Faith pulled her mouth away breathless. She licked her lips as she took in the sight of Buffy's wet pussy again and slicked her fingers through her folds while her eyes stayed glued to the beautiful pink flesh that was on display for her. "Damn…that's so fucking perfect," Faith leaned in again and took another long lick, pulling a deep rumble from her throat before pulling back again, "and so fucking good," she appraised before diving back in.

She flicked her tongue over the throbbing clit, pulling whimpering cries from the blonde each time she did. She then ran her tongue along the length of the blonde's sex again before poising it at her dripping slit to tease it with the tip of her tongue before working it inside. She was finding it difficult to hold back her own needs while she worked her tongue in and out of the blonde. With the taste of Buffy in her mouth and the feel of her soft skin against her palms, Faith was fastly approaching her own breaking point and she ached for her own release. She moved her head back and forth as she fucked her tongue inside of Buffy's pussy, the mixture of her own saliva and the juices from inside spilling out and down onto her chin.

"Faith…Faith…oh yes, oh God yes!" Buffy's high pitched moans became uncontrollably as she pushed back against Faith's face, trying to take more of her in. She whimpered when she felt Faith pull out of her and moved her head to the side to look back again. She watched as her lover's chest heaved, taking in a deep breaths and running a hand over her saturated face. Buffy couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips and how her heart fluttered in her chest when Faith smiled devilishly at her before taking another breath and diving back inside of her.

Another cry tore through Buffy as Faith tongue filled her again, this time bringing a hand down to finger her clit. She felt the pressure against her thigh as the brunette urged her back against her face. Buffy opened her legs further apart, offering more of herself to the hunger slayer then wasted no time in rocking on her hands and knees back against the probing tongue.

It felt like heaven inside of Buffy and Faith's rough tongue pushed and pulled at her slick walls making the blonde shiver inside as once again she was starting to feel the delicious pressure building up inside of her. Buffy pumped her hips faster, fucking herself harder against Faith's tongue as she felt it stiffen.

Faith could feel the blonde slayer begin to contracting around her tongue and her cries and moans got louder. She increased the pressure on Buffy's clit and circled her finger over the throbbing bud sending her over the edge.

Buffy called out to Faith as her back arched and her head dropped into the mattress from her arms giving out on her. She breathed heavily into the soft cushion, trembling as her pussy felt like it was once again melting around Faith's warm tongue. Buffy had now been turned into sweaty puddle of slayer nothingness as she leaned forward on her forearms with her forehead pressed into the bed and her ass still on display.

Faith stood and smiled down at the spent blonde as she leaned down to wrap and arm around the tiny waist and place more kisses on Buffy's ass. She licked the light sheen of sweat that had formed in the small of her back and her tongue traveled along her hips and then back to play down between Buffy's ass.

Buffy gave a low moan as she turned to lay her head to catch a glimpse of the sexually charged slayer still all over her. She was a machine, plain and simple…a very hot and sexy one to be exact. And she was all hers, Buffy thought with a smile.

Faith caught a glimpse of the sexy little half smirk being thrown her way and she threw wink in return while she playful grabbed Buffy's hips pulling them back against her in a pumping motion, wishing that she had a strap-on in that moment. This caused both girls to chuckle slightly at the brunette's usual display of silliness even at such an intense moment.

"You think you can stay here, just like that…in that position til I get back?" Faith asked with an enthusiastically grin. "Because I'm sure Vegas has a shitload of sex shops open right now, hell I probably could find one in the hotel."

Buffy sighed as she gazed back affectionately at the teasing girl, or at least she thought she was teasing and fought hard to find her voice. "Believe me when I say you're doing just fine with what you're working with."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah…definitely no complainants here." Buffy assured with a throaty chuckle as she shifted slightly, causing her ass to sway.

The sound coupled with the movement sent shivers through Faith, causing her heightened sense of arousal to reach an impossibly new level. "Wicked," she rasped, as she ran a hand down between Buffy's legs and through her wet folds. "Because there's definitely more where that came from."

Buffy's mouth fell open with a short intake of breath at the feeling. Her well fucked core felt sensitive to the touch and she gasped each time Faith's fingers slipped over her clit, causing it to jump. She breathed out, and slowly turned her head back to let out soft whimpering cries into the bed as she felt Faith slid a finger inside and start a slow, gentle rhythm inside of her.

Soon all feeling of sensitivity was fleeting from the slow, deep pace Faith had struck and was again igniting another slow burn inside of her. Her pussy constricted each time Faith bottomed out in her and she shuddered each time she pulled out, dragging her seemingly thickening fingers along her slick walls.

Faith was slow and gentle in her prodding, not wanting to be too much at one time for the sexually reserved slayer. But when Buffy's moans and cries of pleasure got deeper and louder and she felt her begin to push back against her hand, she knew her lover was more than ready to be taken again.

She pushed a second finger deep inside, stopping for a moment to allow Buffy to adjust around her. With her hand remaining motionless, Faith allowed Buffy to take over and pleasure herself how she saw fit. She watched as the sexy, tiny hips worked their way in a circulation motion, letting Faith's fingers touch and slick over every inch of her walls. She brought her hand up and palmed one of Buffy's pert little cheeks in her hand, pulling it apart slightly. Each time she felt the tight walls grasp tightly around her she could see the little puckered back opening wink at her as well. "Fuck," Faith mumbled lowly, a groan escaping as her own pussy ached and pulsated at the possibilities.

She brought her back and lightly smacked Buffy on the ass before squeezing the pert globe in her palm and repeating the action, making the blonde jump slightly with each slap. As Faith did she pulled opened the cheek again, exposing the little puckered hole that was just begging to be played with. Unable to help herself, Faith pulled out of Buffy and brought her hand to spread her cheeks while gently squeezing them.

Faith wasn't sure how Buffy would react to what she about, hell she wasn't even sure about what she was about to do seeing as it was new to her as well, she just knew that she wanted Buffy in every possible way. Leaning forward slowly, with her knees pressing against the edge of the bed, Faith leaned forward and placed gentle kisses on the small of Buffy's back moving them down over her ass cheeks, paying attention to both as she slightly grazed her teeth over them. Her movements got bolder as she brought her tongue between them and swirled it around Buffy's puckered ass hole.

Buffy sucked in a shaky breath and involuntarily stiffened at the unexpected move before instinctively moving forward and slightly away.

Faith's eyes darted upwards to gauge the blonde's reaction. Buffy's head was still lowered as her hands clutched desperately at the sheets while she breathed heavily into the room. Moments passed as Faith wondered if she'd made a mistake and tried to take things too far. To her surprise, Buffy pushed her tiny ass back against her and a deep moaned reverberated from her when Faith's tongue swiped over her again.

With the tip of her tongue, Faith lightly licked around the rim of the opening, then moved her tongue in a flicking motion over it. This caused Buffy to hiss in pleasure as her ass swayed at the sensation. Faith herself couldn't help the deep moan that was pulled from her own throat at doing such an intimate thing to someone. She wasn't surprised however that if it was anyone in the world she chose to do this with, that it would be her blonde counterpart. She didn't think there were enough fingers and toes in the world to count how many fantasies she'd had involving Buffy.

Faith flattened her tongue and licked the furrow from the bottom to the top a few times as if she was licking on her favorite flavored ice cream cone before her flattened tongue pressed against the opening and she started an up and down motion, gently massaging it.

"Oh fuck…Faith, oh my…Faith," Buffy cried out as her ass continued to sway as she rode the tongue that was rimming her ass. It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before and she was on the fast track to losing her mind from how good it felt.

Palming and squeezing Buffy's cheeks, Faith gave the puckered hole a few more licks before she placed soft kisses directly on it and slowly stood.

Buffy whimpered at the loss of contact and turned her head to look back.

The edges of Faith's lips curved in the tiniest of grins as she licked over her lips and then clutched her full bottom lip between her teeth, her own arousal heightening as she slid her fingers back inside of Buffy's pussy to resume their assault on the hot entrance, pushing deeper and deeper, making the blonde squeal and cry out in the room. The thought of what she was about to do next, turning her on beyond belief.

Faith pulled out of Buffy once again and brought her saturated fingers up where her tongue had previously been. She circle them around the tight hole, lubricating it even more before sliding them back inside of the blonde's wet center.

With her other hand, she brought the pad of her thumb to rest against the moistened hole and circled her thumb around it, pressing slightly against it. Once again, Buffy gasped at the action and she slightly pulled away instinctively.

"Too much?" Faith asked concerned, clearly not wanting to do anything Buffy wasn't ready for. There was a pregnant pause in the air that was filled with Buffy's ragged breathing and to Faith's surprise again and much to her pleasure, instead of an audible answer, she felt Buffy push back and work her ass against her thumb.

Faith continued to press against the hole a little with the pad of her thumb, causing Buffy to get louder and more frenzied and she picked up the pace of her hips.

Buffy moans and squeals were muffled as she pulled her bottom lips between her teeth in an effort to silence herself as she began to writhe. Soon she was able to relax into the probing thumb and her hips began a slow rocking motion against the questing digit.

Faith thrusts became deeper inside of Buffy's pussy as she applied more pressure with her thumb, pushing slightly against her puckered hole.

Buffy started to pant now as the sensations at having attention shown to both of her openings overwhelmed her with pleasure. She pushed back harder against Faith's hands, her legs moving her forward and backwards faster.

As Faith fucked Buffy's pussy harder, her thumb slicked and pressed against the hole as she applied slow, careful pressure; until finally the tip of her thumb broke through the sphincter, penetrating it. Both girls groaned out simultaneously into the room, and they both stilled themselves, the sensation being too much.

Faith could hear the short gasps coming from Buffy and she could feel her ass grasping tightly against her thumb. She was unsure if she'd gone too far, her goal wasn't to penetrate, but just to stimulate and give the blonde as much pleasure in every way possible without hurting her. She pulled back slowly, but was halted by Buffy reaching back and placing a firm hand against hers.

"Don't stop," Buffy rasped breathless. "Don't ever stop," she pleaded as she applied pressure against Faith's hand, urging her to continue.

Faith nodded mutely, unable to deny such a pleasurable request as a shuddered breath of air left her pursed lips. She once again struck up a rhythm inside of Buffy with a deepening need to fuck her to the point of no return.

"Oh yes! Fuck…Faith…my ass, fuck it feels so good," Buffy called out at having being taken in a way she'd never experienced, and a way her body definitely didn't disagree with. Her back arched and she called Faith's name out into the room as a hot flash tore through her and poured out around Faith's relentless fingers.

As the sexually ravenous blonde moaned and cried out to her, Faith continued her assault, fucking her as she came, feeling her hot cum slid down to coat her palm.

Buffy was in such a frenzy from the stimulation of the double penetration that a second orgasm ripped through her before the first one had even subsided and it had her back arching and yelling out into the room.

"Holy fuck Buffy!" Faith cried as she Buffy convulsed around her fingers, not expecting her own body to betray her as soon as she felt herself starting to lose control. Having taken Buffy in such a raw and intimate way, and feeling her so hot and trembling around her, Faith had to lean into Buffy with her knees resting against the bed as she felt them buckle slightly from the tiny shocks that sizzled through her lower region as she too felt her pussy explode as she came.

With her knees now sinking into the bed next to Buffy's for support, Faith removed her hand from Buffy's back entrance and brought it down to her own dripping sex, rubbing vigorously at her clit, intensifying and prolonging the effect of her impromptu orgasm.

Buffy's ragged breath mingled with that of Faith's as both girls moaned and cried out into the room, giving praise and speaking other sexy and well deserved words to each other from their love making.

After several moments, Buffy felt Faith's fingers slipped out of her and she slumped forward as her arms and legs could no longer hold her up and she lazily fell onto the bed in a sweaty heap.

Faith looked down at the gorgeous, glistening body and followed, pressing her knees more fully into the bed in a straddle position over Buffy's and kissed her way up the sweaty form, starting at Buffy's ass and stopping to lick the small sheen of sweat that had formed on the small of her back and licking her way up until she was at Buffy's neck.

Faith hovered slightly with a more than pleased with herself grin plastered on her face as she hovered above the spent slayer. She removed the hair away from Buffy's face and neck and leaned in to place several kisses against it.

Buffy stirred and lazily brought her hand up to thread through Faith's hair. Thoughts of telling the sexy slayer just how amazingly good that felt went through her mind but at the moment the sound that the spent slayer could manage was an appreciative moan.

Faith chuckled as she stretched out on the boneless slayer, her body half on Buffy and half on the bed. Her hand rubbed the slender back soothingly and her fingers lightly traced soothing lines up and down her back.

"This was so not how this was supposed to go," Buffy mumbled softly as she turned her head to face her smiling lover.

"What's that supposed to be mean B?" Faith moved her hand away and raised her head slightly with a frown quickly replacing the smile from her fear of Buffy's regrets rushing back at her.

"You're supposed to be the one lying here unable to move and in a sweaty heap of slayer goo," Buffy explained with a contented sigh. "Oh god…you've turned me into a pillow queen," She turned her face into the bedding with a groan. As if sensing some smart-alecky comment from her bedmate, Buffy raised her head and fixed Faith with a glare. "Not one word. In fact I don't even want to hear those words come out of your mouth…ever. Got it?"

Faith laughed, relieved and also amused at the quirky blonde's own misguided fears. She leaned in to kiss Buffy's lips before laying her head back down and continued the soothing rubbing on her back. "I swear that didn't even come to mind B," Faith chuckled. "In fact I think it's so much better this way, how else was I gonna worship this hot little body of yours?"

"Mmmm," Buffy cooed, "you want to worship me?"

Faith kissed her shoulder again before running her tongue up to lick the shell of her ear, eliciting a moan from the blonde. "Of course I do, what else would do you do with a pillow queen?"

Buffy scoffed as her eyes popped opened and she raised her head slightly to give a menacing glare at the grinning slayer. It would've been followed by a prompt smack to the back of the head, but Buffy couldn't muster up the energy to move at the moment.

Faith laughed, "Oh c'mon B, you have to admit you walked right into that one."

Buffy's rolled her eyes and her head dropped into mattress, turning away from Faith. "Fine," she grumbled with a pout and pulled her body into a stretch, leaving her hands above her head.

Faith pressed more into her and brought her hand up and ran it up the length of Buffy's arm until she reached her hand to entwined hers and Buffy's fingers.

"You don't hear me complaining do you? I could fuck you all day and you don't even have to touch me. In fact your pussy taste so damn good I wanna make you my own little serial face rapist so I can tongue fuck you over and over and make you cum in my mouth."

Buffy chuckled slightly at the comment, but the effects of it caused her to shiver, making goose bumps break out across her skin. She was in awe at how Faith managed to turn her on again after just having her body turned inside out, no one had ever made her feel like that. "You certainly have a way with words," she said hoarsely, her throat worn from having been put too much use.

"Looks like I have a way with you too," Faith whispered in her ear, her hand sliding up and down Buffy's rippled skin before nipping at the soft flesh below it, feeling the effect she was having on the blonde.

"No arguments here. I can't even feel any part of my body right now and yet I want you again," Buffy confessed as she turned her head to deliver a needy kiss to the brunette.

Faith shifted so that she was straddling the back of Buffy's thigh, her pussy spreading against it. "Well I can definitely feel this hot little body of yours," she huskily whispered against the delicious lips and rocked against Buffy's thigh.

Buffy moaned out at the feel of Faith's pussy sliding over her skin, "God you're so hot, Faith…I…I need to touch you, please." The blonde pleaded.

"You are touching me, and you feel so fucking good." Faith whispered sexily in Buffy's ear. "Can you feel me?"

"God yes," Buffy rasped as she lifted her head to capture Faith's lips again then pulled back. The kiss was hard, a mesh of teeth and tongue clashing hungrily. She pulled back breathless, "But I need to feel you on the inside."

Faith groaned as she stopped her ministrations and looked into pleading, hungry eyes. Buffy leaned in and placed a sweet kiss on her lips, causing Faith to relent. She pulled back and allowed Buffy to turn around under her while she hovered. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before Buffy pulled herself up rest against her elbows, bringing their faces inches apart. Faith's eyes darted to Buffy's lips before back up to her sparkling green eyes and she leaned in.

Buffy halted Faith's movement by placing a hand against her chest, she smiled and chuckled at the wounded puppy look Faith was giving her. She then slowly slid backwards on her elbows towards the head of the bed, never taking her eyes off Faith's as she guided her, leaving Faith helpless and unable to do anything but follow as she hovered and crawled with her. Buffy stopped once she was far enough up on the bed and placed her head on the pillow with a sexy grin on her face.

Faith hovered, her damp, wavy hair hanging down and framing her face, as she stared down at Buffy with an intense look in her eyes. She knew Buffy wanted her and even though her body was aching to be touched by the blonde, she couldn't help the overwhelming urge to put her own desire on hold and to just please Buffy in every way possible again. Faith wanted their first sexual experience to be something the blonde slayer wouldn't soon forget. She wanted to make her forget all about past lovers and if ever asked about the best she'd ever had, Faith knew she wanted the moment to belong to her.

It normally wasn't like that for her. Faith was all about getting off and getting out. 'Get some. Get gone.' She knew Buffy knew the motto well, yet here she was, choosing to give herself to her. That thought along made Faith want to put everything she had into making love to Buffy. She wanted the blonde slayer to know that this wasn't meant to be just one night, that she wanted it forever. She wanted to worship her and wanted to make her feel like she was the only woman in the world for her, because she was.

As if she was reading Faith's mind, Buffy smiled sweetly up at the intense slayer and ran her fingers along the crease lines on her forehead before cupping her face in her hands and pulling her down to place a sweet kiss on her lips. A slow grin spread across Faith face and all doubts and hesitation to let Buffy just take her was soon replaced with an urging overwhelming need. She lowered herself fully on top of Buffy and captured her lips in a searing kiss.

Buffy moaned into the kiss and parted her lips to allow access for the probing tongue she felt brushing across them. Wanting to feel Faith's skin against her, Buffy brought her hands up to slide the bikini straps over Faith's shoulders. Faith rose slightly, effectively breaking the kiss as her and Buffy panted and urgently tugged at the strings on the bikini she was wearing. Buffy's hands slide over Faith's back and pulled the string on the bikini top, while Faith simultaneously worked on getting the bikini bottom off. A few tugs later, all strings were untied and hindrances were removed.

Faith lowered herself once again on top of Buffy, causing both girls to moan at the feel of their breast pressing together and their hardened nipples rubbing against each other's. Neither wasted any time in crashing their lips back together, the kiss was wild, passionate and full of want as they both tried to devour each other.

One of Faith's hands was buried under the pillow that Buffy was laying on as the other snaked its way in between them to cup Buffy's breast and then circle her thumb around the hardened nipple. Buffy sighed into Faith's mouth at the delicious contact. Faith then ran her hand down Buffy's side, lightly dragging her short nails against her skin as she went, causing goose bumps to form over Buffy's already sensitive body. Buffy's legs parted more, allowing Faith to get more comfortable between the strong thighs.

Buffy's hand dug through Faith's dark mane to knead her scalp, arching into her mouth. "Please Faith," Buffy pleaded as she moved her legs up higher around Faith's to wrap around her waist. Her legs gliding effortlessly against the sweat soaked body between them. Her wet sex slid against Faith's hot skin leaving a trail of wetness as she did. She continued to sensually move her hips against Faith, loving the feel of the sensation that shot through her as her clit rubbed up against the other slayers hot, toned body.

"Please what Buffy?" Faiths asked as she smirked into the breast she'd been engrossed in. She pulled away and tightened her grip on Buffy's hips and looked up into desire filled eyes. She needed to hear, even though she already knew what Buffy wanted, just what it was the blonde wanted her to do.

"Please fuck me," Buffy wasted no time in admitting just what she wanted from the dark slayer. Her whole body was on fire as it burned with desire. Faith turned her on, plain and simple and she couldn't get enough. Even after having her body turned inside out by her talented lover's fingers and tongue, Buffy's body still ached for more, and she knew the only one that could satiate her was the woman who was currently giving her body the much needed attention it desired. Faith had her spiraling on a pleasure train to happy land, a ride she blissfully was happy to take as long as the brunette was doing the driving.

Faith wiggled out of embrace of Buffy's strong legs and moved to straddle her left thigh. She spread her legs and settled against it as her right hand found its way through Buffy's folds. Buffy's breath hitched in her throat and she inhaled sharply at the feel of Faith's fingers teasing through her again. She moved her hips against Faith's hands, encouraging her and wanting more as she placed her hands on her shoulders.

Buffy could only pant in short breaths and thrust her hips forward as Faith's palm pressed firmly against her clit. She slid her right hand up over Faith's neck and rested it on the nape of her neck, desperately clinging to the other slayer as her other hand slid down Faith's arm and over the hand that was currently rubbing over her pussy. Buffy applied more pressure on the back of Faith's hand as she rolled her hips against it.

Pushing herself up and holding herself up with her left hand, Faith watched Buffy's face. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her kiss swollen lips were parted as the sexiest sounds Faith's ears had ever heard passed through them. As she leaned down and licked over Buffy's lips, she slowly slid her index and middle finger inside of her.

Even after having felt the blonde inside and out, Faith's body still shuddered at the feel of Buffy's hot sex as she pushed her way deeper.

"Oh yessss," Buffy hissed and grasped Faith's wrist tightly. Her hips moved against the fingers that were buried deep inside of her, setting a pace that Faith was more than happy to comply with if it pleased her golden haired beauty. The pace was slow but Buffy rotated her hips pushing Faith deeper and deeper, letting out shuddered whimpers each time Faith's finger bottomed out inside her.

Buffy was so wet, she could feel her warm juices sliding down between her ass cheeks. "Faith, oh god that feels so good baby," Buffy praised breathlessly and continued to do so with each thrust.

Faith couldn't help the smiled that crossed her lips and the way her heart clenched tightly in her chest at the use of the term of endearment, that she herself had previously use on the other girl. She pulled back to look at the rapturous look on her newly minted wife's face and wondered if the blonde was even aware that she had said it. More importantly, she wondered if when she'd said it to the blonde, if it had the same effect that it was now having now that Buffy had said it to her…like she was hers.

Faith leaned back in and placed a kiss on the parted lips as she felt Buffy's pussy pulling at her fingers. She could hear the wet clicking sound it made as she moved inside and it brought her back to her task. Buffy's pussy was so hot and wet around her fingers that she could feel the juices gathering in her palm and sliding over her wrist.

"Fuck B," Faith started, her voice strained and the arm she was holding herself up with starting to strain as well. She lowered herself, and now supported herself on her forearm as her forehead laid against Buffy's temple as she continued her slow ministrations. "Damn you're still so wet," Faith mused as she moved her head so she could capture Buffy's lips, drinking down the moans that escaped, "You're so fucking wet Buffy," Faith mumbled against Buffy's lips as she pulled back slightly. "You're drowning me...fuck you're drowning me baby," she groaned out as she drove deeper inside of Buffy, losing herself to the feel of the blonde slayer sucking her in.

Buffy moved the hand that was on Faith's neck up to the back of her head to tangle in her hair, "You make me feel this way Faith…only you," Buffy struggled to say between thrusts. "God you make me so hot...I'm so hot for you, baby." Buffy whispered breathless against Faith's lips as she moved the arm up to wrap around the brunette's neck to pull her closer.

Faith moaned at the words as she slipped a third finger inside of the soaked hole, spreading it open even more for her.

"Oh yes…oh Faith yes," Buffy cried as she tore her mouth away from Faith's and arched her head and neck against the pillow. Faith immediately latched onto her neck and sucked and licked the sweaty flesh.

Faith began to pump faster inside of Buffy as she felt her hole stretching for her. She rolled her own hips in time with the faster pace in which she was fucking Buffy. Her breath was hot against Buffy's neck and Buffy could hear every grunt and moan that was pulled from Faith as she grinded against her thigh. Buffy pushed her thigh into Faith's wet center and moved the hand that was gripping the back of her head, down to grip her ass to aid the brunette in the ride. "Oh fuck…Buffy," Faith cried out as she tore her mouth away and buried her head into Buffy's neck.

Both girls were moaning and panting from the feel of each other. Buffy's moans soon got higher in pitch as Faith fucked her harder and deeper. She could feel her body coiling from the inside at the oncoming orgasm she knew was about to be released. Her body temperature rose, getting impossibly hotter in the region that the sexy brunette was currently impaling.

She moved the arm that was gripping Faith's arm down, sliding it between their sweat soaked bodies. Buffy desperately wanted to be inside of Faith, she wanted to give her as much pleasure as the brunette was giving to her, but knowing that Faith had stopped her previously, she wasn't sure if the normally in charge slayer would allow it this time around.

Feeling the movement and knowing the intent, Faith stopped her hand as she lifted her head to look down at Buffy. Her face was flushed and her breathing shallow, it made her modest chest rise and fall rapidly as she tried to pull air into her lungs and control her rapidly beating heart.

Under the intense gaze of the brunette, Buffy licked her suddenly dry lips; knowing that she was moving towards dangerous territory, literally. There was also the fact that she had no clue what to do even if Faith allowed her to go there. She would just have to let Faith's body guide her into telling her what it wanted. Her hand moved lower and her fingers idly stroked along Faith's moistened mound. She donned the patented half-smile she knew worked so well on the former rogue slayer before she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth to flash the brunette a sweet, coy look and stared into the expressive dark orbs, silently asking for permission.

Faith leaned down and placed a tender kiss against Buffy's lips. She'd kissed the blonde plenty that night, they'd ranged from hard and so hot it left them both breathless, to soft and slow making her heart thud affectionately. But this kiss was different; it was unlike one she'd ever given, one she didn't know she was capable of that she felt it simmer through her whole body.

It was a kiss of need, trust and more importantly of love and Faith felt her heart break and mend both at once as she stared down at the woman she'd wanted for so long as she silently waited for her to give permission to take her.

It was the first time she'd ever been asked, and it was the first time she wanted to give it and have it actually mean something. She was in love. And she wanted to give herself to the beautiful blonde woman gazing at her like she could actually love her back.

"It's yours Buffy….take it," Faith rasped as she lifted her hips, allowing Buffy room to move her hand lower.

Buffy gazed back deeply into the intense brown eyes or her lover. Her heart fluttered at knowing Faith was finally able to give up some kind of control to her. She knew it was a hard thing for the normally, sexually in charge girl to let go off. She maneuvered her hand tentatively over Faith's sex, her fingers gliding slowly through her slick folds.

"Buffy," Faith whispered as she dropped her head to rest against Buffy's shoulders as she sighed out at the contact.

The blonde turned her head to whisper against Faith's temple, "Please tell me if I'm not doing this right. I don't want to disappoint you in any way." Buffy requested, only wanting to please Faith as she'd done to her over and over.

Faith pulled back to look adoringly at Buffy, loving how she actually cared enough to want to please her instead of only being concerned with only herself. She leaned in and kissed her briefly before pulling back. "I promise, you can't go wrong here." Faith told her, looking directly into her eyes as she spoke.

Buffy nodded as her fingers continued to slick through Faith's pussy lips. She brought a finger up and pressed against the hardened bundled of nerves in a circular motion, causing Faith to hiss and groan against the touch. She gently tugged at the throbbing nub and twirled it around between her fingers.

"Ahh fuck," Faith hissed and her hips bucked against Buffy's hand from the action.

Buffy raised her free hand to lay her hand on Faith's cheek and watched the pleasure wash over her beautiful face. Her eyes were squeeze shut and her full lips were parted slightly as warm breath rushed out of it. It gave her the confidence she needed to press forward and she slicked a finger over Faith aching hole, teasing it as she circled her fingers over it.

Faith groaned as she ached for Buffy to be inside of her and she pumped her hips against the probing digit. "C'mon B, now who's teasing who?" Faith asked, her voice was strained as if she was in pain as she ached to be filled.

A smile tugged at Buffy's lips, liking how the tables were now turned and she now had Faith writhing in agony over wanted to be touched. "Tell me what you need, Faith." Buffy implored, wanting to hear the words.

Faith's eyes fluttered open to find playful green eyes watching her. A weak smile crossed her lips, it was all she could manage considering Buffy was still circling her wanting sex, but instead of answering her with words, she decided to show her instead. Her fingers that were still buried inside of Buffy's warmth pushed deep inside of her causing the blonde to gasp at the unexpected movement.

"Faith!" Buffy gasped as she pulsating around the digits. "That's…ahhh… not…you can't…," Buffy's words were cut off as Faith pulled back and slammed into her again.

"That's what I want," Faith whispered against parted, gasping lips. "I want you buried so deep inside of me, fucking me til I can't think straight." Her tongue teased over Buffy's parted lips before she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth to suck on it. "Think you can handle that Blondie?" Faith's question was accentuated with another hard thrust of her fingers.

It was Buffy's turn to answer with her own actions as she entered Faith long and hard.

"Oh fuck yeah," Faith groaned lowly in her throat at the intrusion. A rush of adrenaline and desire coursed through her at the feel of Buffy being inside of her. Her hips immediately started up a rhythm against the blonde slayers hand as she pushed her own fingers deep inside of Buffy and held them there before slowly pulling back while arching her fingers.

Buffy drew in a sharp breath as Faith touched a spot inside of her that made her toes curl and her hips bucked against her hand. Faith began to press into the swollen, fleshy area, knowing she'd found what she was looking for. She swayed her fingers along Buffy's g-spot and took satisfaction in the breathy moans and the squealing cries she elicited from the blonde.

As she continued her assault on the blonde's sweet spot, Faith rolled her hips around, working her pussy on Buffy's finger, "More," she gasped out wanting Buffy to stretch and fill her. Buffy complied as she worked another finger inside of Faith, "Oh yeah, fuck me Buffy," Faith requested, and Buffy did. She drove her fingers deep inside of Faith, the limited movement she was allowed with her hand pressed so tightly against her own thigh allowed her to grind deep inside with short, deep thrusts.

Faith spread her legs further, allowing herself to ride Buffy's hand in a grinding motion It wasn't long before Buffy fingers were rubbing into her g-spot. She threw her head back and moaned loudly into the room as she rolled her hips keeping the constant pressure right where she needed it.

Both girls were at their breaking points now, dripping wet as their pussies were filled and pumped relentlessly. They both were sounding out into the room with moans and cries of pleasure they were inflicting upon each other. Faith's chest was heaving as she pulled her heavily lidded eyes open to look down at Buffy. Buffy's mouth was open and her eyes were tightly shut as she body writhed in ecstasy, and her own hands were giving as much as she was receiving.

"Oh fuck Buffy…that feels so damn good," Faith said breathlessly as she felt Buffy's fingers arch and press firmly and start a swirling motion against her sweet spot. She buried her head into Buffy's neck, her ragged breath coming out in short pants and Buffy worked her over. "Fuck yeah…that's so fucking good," she whispered again as she worked her pussy on Buffy's finger, moving her hips in a slow deliberate circle against the pace Buffy had set for her.

"F…Faith?" Buffy struggled with words of her own, the name of her lover the only thing on her mind and words she was able speak at the moment.

After a few moments hesitation Faith relented and pulled back opening her eyes, letting them fall upon heavy lidded stormy, sea green eyes staring at her. "Keep them open," Buffy demanded as Faith had previously done, her lips brushing softly over the full ones in front of her. Her tongue darted out to lick over Faith's lips as she spoke again. "Before… when you," Buffy's breath was ragged, she struggled to find the words she wanted to say and maintain the gaze she and Faith were locked in, "when you made me…oooh Faith…," she groaned, still struggling as she felt the damn about to break inside of her, "let me see your eyes when I make you cum."

The request along with look in Buffy's eyes made Faith's heart clench and fill with emotion as she stared down at her wife. "Oh fuck, I'm gonna….," Faith whispered breathless as she held the blonde's intense gaze. "Fuck I'm gonna cum for you Buffy," she announced, feeling the storm brewing inside of her. She rolled her hips around against Buffy's hand while she worked on her own task at getting the little blonde to cum for her.

Buffy brought her hand up to cup Faith's cheek as their eyes stayed locked in an intense gaze. A smile curled at her lips as Faith turned her head briefly to kiss the inside of the palm. It wasn't soon after that her back arched while her hips begin to move erratically and her legs shook, but she never took her eyes off Faith as the coil inside of her snapped and brought forth a rush of warmth and pleasure that rocked her whole body. "Oooh Faith, I'm…oh God I'm coming," Buffy told her, bringing her hand down to Faith's shoulder, gripping it hard and digging her nails in her skin as she trailed it down the length of her arm. She bit her bottom lip at the feel of the liquid heat gushing out of her and filling Faith's palm.

As she watched the blonde come undone beneath her, Faith's own orgasm tore through her body as she rode Buffy's fingers. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck," Faith chanted as she grind her hips against Buffy's fingers and painted her thigh with her warm release. Unable to hold herself up any longer Faith collapsed onto top of Buffy's sweat soaked body as she felt her pussy spasm around Buffy's fingers.

Buffy soothingly stroked the strong back of her spent slayer as she lay trying to catch her own breath. With fingers still inside of one another, both girls were breathing heavily as heart beats beat wildly against the others. Faith moved slightly, but it was only so she could buried her head in its second favorite spot, into Buffy's neck, the first being where her fingers were still currently buried.

It was Buffy who decided to move first as she slowly slide her fingers out of Faith. This elicited a moan from the brunette as she snuggled deeper into the crook of Buffy's neck, rubbing her nose along the smooth skin and breathing in the scent that was pure Buffy mixed with sweat and sex. Buffy slid the hand over Faith's hip and then moved it up to rub her lover's back soothingly, her other hand found its way to the back of Faith's head to thread her fingers adoringly through her still damp hair. She turned her head slightly and planted a kiss on the motionless brunette's temple.

"Hmmm," Faith cooed at the feel of Buffy's hands stroking over her.

"Are you still alive?" Buffy teased.

"I'm five by five B," Faith groaned as she slipped her own fingers out of Buffy and slowly slid her palm up and over Buffy's soaked pussy, causing Buffy to gasp at the action and wrap her arm around Faith's back. Faith's hand finally came to rest on a slender hip as she finally raised her head and look down at Buffy with hooded lids. She stared for a moment before she spoke, "Actually I think I've died and gone to heaven."

Buffy regarded Faith for a moment before she burst out in a fit of giggles.

Faith brows creased in a frown at the giddy slayer. "What's so damn funny B?"

"You're really using lines on me right now?" Buffy asked through her laughter.

"What? That wasn't a line B!" Faith bristled.

"Okay so what was that if it wasn't you trying to be smooth?" Buffy's laughter had subsided but Faith could still hear the amusement in her voice.

"I don't have to _try _to be smooth B," Faith scowled as she rolled away from amused slayer, "the smoothness it's part of my whole persona, you know that."

"Awww, did I hurt the big bad _charming's_ my middle name slayer's feelings?" Buffy teased as she rolled over to drape herself over the sulking slayer.

"No, besides…if case you haven't noticed," Faith ran a hand smoothly over Buffy's naked side and rested it on her hip, "I've already gotten the goods B…no point in wasting perfectly good lines on you."

It was Buffy's turn to scowl as she went to roll away, but her efforts were halted as Faith moved her arm to tighten around her waist.

"Where you going girl?" Faith asked with a grin.

"Away from you," Buffy pouted as she pushed weakly against Faith, really not trying to get away, "since I'm such a waste."

"Awww, did I hurt the _not_ so big bad slayer's feelings," Faith mocked as she pulled Buffy closer.

"Yes…you did in fact," Buffy pouted, but relented and snuggled against Faith's chest.

"Well I'm sorry, I won't do it again." Faith promised as she placed a gentle kiss on Buffy's head.

Buffy pulled back to look at grinning slayer with a raised brow and a skeptical look on her face.

"Okay okay, I won't do it anymore _tonight_," the teasing slayer backtracked and planted a kiss on Buffy's lips. Buffy accepted the answer and leaned in for another light kiss before snuggling back against Faith, who wrapped her arms tighter around the blonde's lithe body.

Faith lay with Buffy in her arms, her mind reeling too much for her to even attempt sleep at the moment. She kept wondering when they would have to have the dreaded talk she knew was looming. She was surprised that the blonde hadn't made any attempts yet to try to analyze what had just happened between them; after all she knew Buffy didn't just do casual.

Faith chalked it up to the fact that the blonde was probably too spent and her brain was a big pile of mush at the moment for her to talk about anything f a serious nature. Faith grinned at the thought of being able to fuck Buffy's brains out on a daily basis in order to avoid the conversation she knew they had to have. It would keep the blonde quiet and satiated and in return make her a very happy slayer as well.

She still couldn't believe what had just taken place, that she and Buffy had actually had sex without any aid from any outside factors. It wasn't because of a spell that made them think they were together or from them falling piss drunk into bed together.

It wasn't from any post slayage hornies, although, there were plenty of nights Faith thought that it would be the culprit, but all that happened when they fell into bed together was Buffy catching a major case of the snuggles and falling asleep and her fighting back her urge to ravage the blonde. No, they had done it they both wanted it. Because Buffy had finally let down her defenses and took matters into her own hand and had jumped Faith and although hesitant at first, after Buffy reassured her that it was what she wanted and Faith was more than eager to jump back.

At least Faith hoped that it was because Buffy really wanted too and not because of a 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' experience. But even if it was, Faith was just so caught up in the moment that the newest Big Bad could've been attempting a takeover starting with the hotel they were staying in and she wouldn't have noticed.

Faith couldn't help but wonder where they would go from here. In a few short hours they were to get their marriage dissolved and they would be headed back home. Faith wondered if Buffy had a plan of action once they got back. After all she was ultimately responsible for making the core decisions in the group so Faith didn't see why as far as their relationship was concerned she didn't still hold that power.

It all seemed one-sided, but Faith knew she was no good at the whole relationship deal and any input she had on the matter would be useless, so she was sure that whatever Buffy decided would probably be best for both of them and she would readily go along with it, even if it was something that would in the end tear her to pieces.

The brunette slayer felt nervous and ready to crawl out of her skin at the thought of this being only a one-night thing with Buffy. Normally, she would relish in the fact that she was able to fuck and run, that she was able to let go and not feel any guilt or remorse for leaving another nameless schmuck behind with no regrets. The feeling that she was now feeling was now hitting her ten-folds as she felt Buffy continuing to stir in her arms.

Buffy kept sighing and squirming around while trying to stretch a little while in Faith's embrace. Faith could feel her legs moving and her back arching a little before settling back against her. Faith frowned slightly as she briefly thought that maybe Buffy was already growing tired of her and just didn't want to be held right now. Is this what it felt like to be on the other side of the 'get some, get gone' mantra, because if so Faith now felt like the biggest asshole on the planet and karma was now giving her a huge slayer sized slap in the face for her former actions.

With that thought uneasily playing with her mind, Faith lifted her head slightly and began to slowly try to pull her arm from underneath Buffy's head and move away from the restless girl. As she did so Buffy's eyes popped open and she abruptly sat up to lean on her elbow while pulling the sheet modestly up over her.

"Where are you going?" Buffy hoped she didn't sound accusing.

The sudden movement of the blonde startled Faith, freezing her in place. "I uh…I was moving."

"Why?" Buffy asked, afraid that Faith had been trying to sneak off, that she was actually trying to pull a 'get gone' on her.

"Well you just seem wicked uncomfortable B, you kept sighing and shifting around…I was just trying to give you some space." Faith explained.

Buffy regarded Faith for a few minutes, seeing that the brunette was genuine and wasn't trying to sneak out on her. "Oh…well, um yeah, I am uncomfortable. But it's not you…in fact you're all warm and cuddly so no I didn't really want you moving…I mean I do, but not _away_ away. Just I don't…um…maybe we can switch places, maybe?" Buffy asked tentatively, her big green eyes hopeful.

"Switch places? What's wrong with where you are?" Faith inquired, wondering what Buffy was up to and why she seemed suddenly so uncomfortable with the side of the bed she'd occupied since they'd been there.

Buffy mumbled something inaudible that even Faith's slayer hearing couldn't decipher, but she did note the pout that Buffy was now sporting.

Faith leaned up on her elbow to face Buffy, "C'mon…tell me what's the matter B?"

"I said I'm in the wet spot!" Buffy stated a little louder this time.

Faith stared blankly at the pouting slayer unable to believe her ears. As the information finally settled into her brain, she fought off the grin that threatened to break out across her Faith.

Buffy however could see her prominent dimples appearing in her cheeks as she tried not to laugh. "I'm serious Faith! It's cold and it's wet and not to mention the ick factor of sleeping in it!"

"It's yours!" Faith pointed out.

"How do you know it's not yours?".

"Hmmm…let me see," Faith brought a finger to her chin as if she was thinking the matter over, "for starters you're the one who were so turned on that you sprung a leak the size of the Atlantic." Buffy's mouth fell open in a gasp as if what Faith said had offended her.

"It still doesn't mean that some of it isn't yours!" Buffy retorted hotly. "And for the record you were just as turned on!"

"Hell yeah I was," Faith agreed with a sexy grin and brought a hand to run over Buffy's sheet clad thigh only to have it promptly smacked away. "Oh c'mon Buffy, I wasn't even laying there, so technically my wet spot is probably all nice and dry on your thigh right now." Faith tried to pull the sheet down to have a look but Buffy had it in a vice grip and refused to let it go.

"That's gross Faith," Buffy replied with a roll of her eyes.

"You didn't think so when I came all over you," Faith grinned again accompanied with a wiggle of her brows.

Buffy refused to laugh, even though the whole conversation was kind of comical. "I can't believe we're having this conversation right now."

"You brought it up."

"Yes I did, now are you moving or not," Buffy huffed.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Faith stretched back out and folded her arms comfortably behind her head. "You want me to move over in your sea of cum…,"

"Must you be so crude," Buffy interrupted.

"Do you really have to ask that?" Faith answered with grin, then continued on at the eye roll she received. "You want me to move so I can be uncomfortable just so you can sleep well? Is that what you're asking?" Faith waited for a reply, but she only received silence and the irresistible Buffy Summers pout and big pleading green eyes to boot. She felt her resolve crumbling. "C'mon Buffy! This bed is huge, why can't you just move to the other side of it."

"Because it's dead smack in the middle of the bed so rewind back five minutes ago to when I said you were warm and cuddly and you'll find your answer. I can't be all warm and cuddly if you're here and I'm there."

"Seriously Buffy, it can't be that bad," Faith sat up and leaned over Buffy, pulling the sheet out of the way so her hand could feel around on the bed. "Holy shit," she mused as she continued to pat down the bed. "Are you sure you just weren't too lazy to go to the bathroom and really just peed in the bed?"

Buffy scoffed as she pushed Faith back, "Fine! I'll just sleep on the other side of it!" She huffed and made a motion to move.

Faith halted her actions once again as she grabbed her by the waist, "Jesus B, you're such a fucking brat…move over!" Faith instructed as she sat up and threw a leg over the spoiled slayer.

Buffy's smile was huge as she scuffled over to the side of the bed that the now grumbling slayer had previously occupied and got comfortable.

"Happy now?" Faith grumbled as she felt the cool, wet signs of her bedmates previous arousal staining her thigh.

"Not quite," Buffy stated as she moved Faith's arm so she continue with her snuggling then pulled the other around her waist. "Now I'm happy," Buffy announced as she snuggled down in Faith's arms with a contented sigh. And she was, deliriously happy in fact. Her mind drifted to when things where taking a turn for the serious when it looked like they might've been about to have that talk after all. She wasn't sure if she was ready for it then, not with Faith so hot and sexy pressed up against her, with her gravelly voice speaking to her so sexily and those gorgeous dimples peeking out and making her fall even harder. Regardless of when they had the talk, Buffy knew without a shadow of a doubt that her and Faith would soon be a couple. An out and proud couple.

"I'll bet you are," Faith muttered as she now tried her best to get comfortable. Even though she couldn't believe the turn of events and how Buffy had just conned, she couldn't bring herself to get even a little pissed off about it. After all, no matter what position she was in, she still had the girl of her dreams in her arms. She snuggled as closely as possible to Buffy, trying to at least not lay completely in her mess.

Buffy laughed. "See, not so comfortable is it?"

"Shut up Buffy before I kick you out of the bed completely," Faith muttered.

"You wouldn't," the giggling blonde retorted.

"You're right, but let's pretend the threat wasn't idled and just shut the hell up anyway," Faith gave a little squeeze with her playful comment.

Buffy laughed again, her warm breath tickling over Faith's skin causing goose bumps to ripple over it. "You're getting soft on me slayer," she mused sleepily as she soothingly rubbed Faith's back, "when did this happen?"

Faith chuckled softly at the comment before taking a moment to respond, "When I got married." This caused Buffy to chuckle in return.

Buffy sighed out again and this time Faith squeezed her lightly, earning her a light squeeze back and a barely there kiss against her collarbone and they both soon, contentedly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Faith was the first to stir, the pull of her empty stomach making it impossible for her to attempt to go back to sleep. She went to move, and although both girls grips had lessened considerably, Buffy still lay sprawled out halfway on top of her as Faith was now on her back.

The brunette ran a lazy hand over her face and pulled her body into as much of a stretch as the slumbering slayer would allow. Faith glanced over at the sheet covered body and thoughts of their previous love making rushed back into her mind. Her hand that was on Buffy's lower back had started a slow caress as thoughts of taking her again flooded her mind. However, looking at the peaceful, I've just been fucked into oblivion look on the blondes face; she knew she didn't have the heart to wake her.

Faith knew Buffy was having a restful sleep; she was privy to the knowledge because she'd watched the other girl sleep for what felt a million times now already. The blonde's eyelids occasionally fluttered, indicating that she was probably dreaming and her lips were softly parted as the soft snore was emitted along with some drooling.

Faith smiled down at the beautiful girl in her arm and her heart rate increased as it thudded inside of her chest at the love and adoration it had for the woman lying beside her. She didn't know where they would go from here, but as long as Buffy was still asleep and safely lying against her, she knew she didn't have to think about it. Well, not yet.

"You're staring," Buffy suddenly spoke, startling the brunette.

"That's because you're drooling," Faith responded flippantly.

"I am not," Buffy replied sleepily with a yawn as she instinctively brought a hand up to her mouth. "Oh," she said as her hand swiped at the obvious trail of drool that coated the side of mouth. She then looked down to the spot where her head had been lying on Faith to see the remaining effects of her peaceful slumber and swiftly wiped it away. "Sorry," she mumble, her cheeks slightly burning from embarrassment.

"It's okay B," Faith assured with a smile, "it's not like I haven't seen you drool before, plus you know what they say…when a person drools in their sleep, they're dreaming about giving head."

Buffy turned to give Faith a pointed glare only to be met with wiggling brows that caused her to laugh instead. "Seriously Faith, where the hell do you come up with this stuff? Do they have a school for wiseasses that you took that I don't know about?" Buffy asked as she pulled her body into a catlike yawn.

"Yeah, it was right next door to that stripping class you took," Faith answered smugly.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "You're really not going to let that go are you?"

"Are you kidding me? You being up there on that stage and working that pole was wicked sexy B, I'm just waiting for you to give me my own little private Buffy special." Faith wiggled her brows, causing Buffy to blush as she shook her head slightly. "C'mon my little blushing bride, it'd be all kindsa of wicked hot I'd get to let that one go on my Buffy fantasy list." As the words came out of her mouth, Faith had already realized her mistake.

"There's a list?" Buffy perked up, her ears were ready to receive the information that Faith had a fantasy list about her.

Faith leaned back and raked her eyes over Buffy's partially covered body and regarded her nearly naked statue. Of course now she had gotten into her holier than thou pose as much as she could in a laying position, with her arms thrown across her chest and her eyes were slightly narrowed as she tried to look intimidating. It was all without succession though, because her face was still a little flushed from their sexual escapades and, her messy bun was now just in a mess and her kiss swollen lips were slightly parted and begging to be taken again. Buffy laid there looking ever the picture of a girl who wanted to be taken and rode hard and fast instead of The Original Chosen One, looking for answers.

"Oh course there's a list B. I'm sure every guy or chick that's even met ya has a Buffy to do list." Faith chuckled, she hoped to take the heat away from her own mental list that she had.

"Well I'm not talking about anyone else's list F, I'm talking about yours and I want to know what's on it!"

Faiths eyes roamed over the lithe figure as the sheet slipped from it and she was afforded with the view of Buffy's pert breast accompanied by her nipples hardening from being exposed to the cool air in the room. Her tongue darted out over her full bottom lip to wet it as she eyed her targets. "How about I show you instead," Faith said as she quickly moved to throw back the rest of the sheet hindering her from her lover's supple flesh.

"Faith!" Buffy squealed and her hands flew to the head that had suddenly appeared on her chest. Faith swiftly moved and captured one of the taut nipples between her lips while dexterous fingers lightly pulled at the other.

A moan slipped past Buffy's lips as her fingers deftly threaded through the thick mane and she arched into the skillful touch. "Christ…you're insatiable."

"What's the matter B?" Faith mumbled around the tight bud, "slayer stamina not what it used to be?"

Buffy gasped as teeth scraped across her sensitive flesh. "After just being ravished by you, I think I've already proven, mmm," she moaned as Faith moved to settle between her legs, "that my stamina is well intact."

Faith released the nipple with an audible smack, "Care to prove it again?"

Buffy smiled down at the voracious slayer. She knew that they needed to talk about what was happening between them. They'd boldly taken a huge step in their non-existent relationship and after tonight Buffy was determined to make it real. Sure they had done thing backwards by having copious amounts of sex before figuring out what it was they meant to each other. But if the sex was anything to go by, Buffy knew that what Faith felt for her went a lot deeper than friendship. She could feel it each time Faith touched or kissed her and she especially saw it in the way Faith looked at her.

However, with the way Faith was now slowly grinding her hips into her, Buffy couldn't help as her legs fell further apart, opening herself up so that Faith could now angle herself just right so she could press her center tightly against hers. "Ooohh baby," Buffy groaned loudly as Faith hips circled in a slow tantalizing motion, grinding their pussies hard against each other. She wrapped her arms around the Faith's neck, bringing their bodies closer together. "Definitely can't say no to an offer like that now can I?" She managed through her ragged breaths.

"Fuck B," Faith groaned while burying her face against Buffy's neck as she kept a slow and steady rhythm. Their clits slipped and glided over each other's as they both started to rotate their hips harder against each other. "Damn you feel so good," Faith said breathless against Buffy's skin. She quickly felt herself spiraling over the edge, one that she soon tumbled head first over as Buffy lips touched her ear and the words 'need', 'want', 'love' filtered through her mind.

With her heart beating so fast and pumping all of her blood rushing to her lower region and her adrenaline pumping so fast it made her head feel like it was under water, Faith couldn't be sure if the words had actually came from Buffy's lips or if they were swimming around in her own head.

"Shit Buffy," Faith breath was ragged as it came out in short pants against Buffy's neck, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Buffy asked confused, not understanding why Faith was apologizing.

"For not waiting."

"Oh," Buffy marveled at how considerate of a lover Faith was and also at how gentle she was being. When she'd imagine having sex with Faith, and yes it was more often than naught, she always imagined the boisterous slayer would be wild and rough, taking her hard and fast. She wasn't disappointed in what she had though because Faith had proven to be one hell of a lover already and Buffy imagined it only got better. "You don't have to be sorry about that," Buffy assured as she placed a kiss to the side of Faith's temple. "Besides, I'm sure we can find ways for you to make it up to me."

Faith leaned back, placing an elbow on the bed and rest her head against her hand to look down at her wife curiously. "Oh yeah? How's that?"

"Well…" Buffy seemed to be thinking it over. "You could always…," she quirked an eyebrow and brought her hand up to tap Faith's lips and then pointed down between their bodies, indicating where her and Faith were still joined.

A grin spread over Faith's lips as she laughed. "Yeah okay…," Her tongue darted out to lick over her lips letting Buffy know she knew just what she had in mind, "I think we can work something out Blondie."

"I thought you'd see things my way," Buffy state confidently.

Faith could only smile affectionately at the other girl before leaning in and placing a kiss on her lips. "Ya know B, had I known you'd be this much of an animal in the sack, I would've pushed for us to get married way sooner." Both girls shared a laugh at the comment then Faith started her descent as she licked over Buffy's collar bone.

Buffy once again threaded her fingers back through Faith's wavy locks and smile up at the brunette, "Well it's not like you knew this would happen."

"Of course I did B…you kept telling me remember? '_You can't fuck me til you marry me'_," Faith mocked teasingly. "So I'm kinda thinking you planned this," Faith assessed suspiciously as she gazed down at the guilty looking slayer.

A slight red tint crept over Buffy's face at being caught and she adopted a faux shocked expression, "Me? Scheming? Never!"

"Oh yes you the schemer B!" Faith said smugly as rained kisses along Buffy's collarbone. "It's why you kept insisting that we get married last night isn't it? You wouldn't ease up, you had that adorable little pout going and flashing those gorgeous big green eyes…you know I can never say no to that." The last part was whispered across Buffy's flesh as Faith had now reached Buffy's stomach and was placing kisses and swirling her tongue around her belly button.

Buffy was currently in slayer loving heaven until the weight of Faith's comment filtered through her sex hazed brain. She held the brunette's head in her hands, halting her movements and made her look up at her.

"What?" Faith asked upon seeing the confusion on Buffy's face.

Buffy regarded Faith for a few minutes before her suddenly dry mouth opened to ask the question she wasn't sure she wanted an answer to. "Do you remember last night?"

"What?" Faith repeated, this time confusion crossed her features.

"You…what you just said…that I wouldn't ease up about marrying me and you not being able to say no. How do you know that if you don't remember what happened last night?" Buffy asked, her face still a mask of confusion as she waited for an answer. When all she received was silence as Faith stared up at her with bewildered big brown eyes, Buffy abruptly pulled herself into a sitting position causing Faith to scramble off of her from the sudden movement. Buffy quickly reached for the sheet and pulled it over her chest. She suddenly felt very naked.

Faith resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the action, because at the moment, with the way Buffy was looking at her she knew that would be the wrong thing to do. The dark haired girl brought herself to her knees and sat back against her haunches in the middle of the bed and locked gazes with the blonde that was now staring at her wide eyed and with shock clearing registering on her face.

"Oh god," Buffy said disbelievingly. "You do remember and you did this so I'd have sex with you didn't you?" It was more of a statement rather than a question.

Faith's eyes widened at this, the look on Buffy's face causing her to panic slightly. "What! Hell no I didn't. You're insane to even think that Buffy!"

"I can't believe you would do this," Buffy's voice was low and ominous. A range of emotions were now coursing through the blonde slayer. She was angry, disbelieving, she was still confused, but above all she was felt aggrieved that Faith would so this to her.

"Are you fucking deaf?" Faith asked, raising herself to her knees and extended her arms outward in a 'what the fuck' gesture. "I just told you that's not what I was doing. And how could you even think I'd do something like that to you? I didn't even know that you wanted to give it up B? " Faith yelled, not believing that Buffy would even think such a thing.

"You did…you said so after all Faith with my little '_You can't fuck me til you marry me' _deal," Buffy spat.

"Are you kidding me? I didn't even think you were serious about that!" Faith sat back as she thought about what she had just said. "Okay…I did think you were serious, but only when we were under the spell and we were actually getting married, but fuck Buffy you were drunk, I didn't take that serious then."

"But you took it serious when I said I wanted to still get married!" Buffy threw a hand in the air as she yelled, "Where's the logic in that Faith? Why did you allow us to get married?" The blonde's voice got louder with each word.

Faith sighed and shook her head a little. Yeah she had to admit she wasn't completely trashed when she and Buffy had agreed to go ahead and get married. However, she wasn't completely all there either. In her alcohol induced mind it seemed like a good idea at the time and as the night wore on more alcohol was consumed and more memories were lost. But all in all, she got the girl, even if it was for a little while. Faith ran a shaky hand through her dark hair.

"Fuck B, we were out partying and having a good time…you were drunk, I was drunk and you kept asking and I…I just didn't say no…fuck, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean, all of this shit is a haze in my head. Kinda like waking up from a dream and remembering bits and pieces of it but not enough to put it all together. That's how it is…how it was this morning. I saw the certificate and it freaked me out because I wasn't sure if the little things that I getting was real or not until I saw it. I mean shit last night is a total blur…the more the night went on, the drunker we got and the more I can't remember. But I would _never_ do anything you're accusing me of doing. I wouldn't play with your head like that B. And what about all the stuff that happened tonight Buffy? I tried to ask if you were sure you knew what you were doing. _You_ came on to me, remember?"

"That was before I realized you've been lying to me since we woke up this morning." Buffy had now stood with the sheet wrapped around her body as she paced around the room.

"What the hell are you talking about? I haven't lied about anything." Faith threw her arms up in frustration.

"You pretended like you didn't remember anything about last night when you clearly did…you do."

"I wasn't pretending Buffy at least not really." Faith yelled as the words she's spoken and their meaning finally sunk in. Earlier when she'd run out on Buffy after they'd agreed to the annulment, she had a lot of time to think…to clear her head. Whereas she didn't remember everything that happened the night before there were a few bits that did come in hazily for her. Faith looked away, unable to maintain eye contact with the fuming slayer and slunk down on the bed. "Okay so I wasn't completely honest, which I guess is sorta like lying but not really though. Kinda like giving half-truths instead.

Buffy sat down heavily against the bed and look at Faith with a hurt expression. "But I thought we were done with all of that Faith. The lying and the half-truths…it's what got us in the bad place we were in before. Things were supposed to be different here, right? When did you realize it was okay to start lying to me again?"

Faith took a deep shuddered breath to try and calm herself and she ran both hands back through her hair. She was now reaching limit with Buffy calling her a liar. "Look B, I have not started nor am I lying to you now, so you're just gonna have to believe me on this one. And if it means anything now, I actually was going to talk to you about it, or at least about what was happening between us."

Buffy regarded Faith for a minute. She appreciated the fact that Faith could admit that something was going on but she was still pissed so there was something she needed to know. "You were coming to talk things over with me?" Buffy gave her a skeptical look. "Before or after you'd gotten me into bed?"

Faith scowled at the question, "before," she grinded out through clenched teeth.

"And?" Buffy looked expectantly at the grumpy girl.

"And I was pissed at you okay!" Faith threw her hands up dramatically.

Buffy tried to laugh comically, but it came out sarcastic and disbelievingly. "You were pissed at me? Is that right? What warranted that reaction when all I tried to do was figure out what happened?"

"I don't take to kindly in being compared to your little bleach blond boy toy," Faith seethed at the memory of the conversation.

"Wh…What the hell are you talking about?"

"I heard you and Red, B when you were in the bathroom." Faith explained.

"You…you heard us?" Buffy was slightly panicked about what Faith could've heard and more importantly why it would've pissed her off because her and Willow had discussed Faith at length and if they could be in love with each. However, the scowl on the brunette's face and the mention of Spike meant that Faith only caught a portion of the conversation.

"So you see Buffy, when I hear that you'd rather be shacked up with a low life blood sucker rather than me that tend to not give me the warm fuzzies and want to make with the share and share alike. So I bailed. Besides you had it all figured out, you always do."

"You obviously did your whole disappearing act before you heard the whole conversation, which is not surprising; it's something you still have a knack for apparently," Buffy threw the comment out there. It was clearly a rouse to the slayers past actions.

Faith's jaw clenched at the comment, her jaw working as she worked to remain as calm as she could. She knew she wasn't that person anymore. The one who ran away from her problems instead of trying to figure them out, but hearing Buffy say that she'd rather be married to Spike than her, had really hurt and when she was hurt, it usually brought out the worse in her.

Buffy sat on the bed and rubbed her hand over her now tired eyes. This whole conversation wasn't supposed to be happening this way and it was really draining a lot out of her seeing especially that Faith had already managed to drain most of her energy before this whole argument started. "So let me get this straight, you get pissed at me because you overheard half a conversation and come to the conclusion that I thought Spike would be a better _man_ than you…then you take off like a coward without knowing the whole sitch. Is that about right?"

"Whatever Buffy, I've had about enough of this shit, if you want to blame me for...whatever the hell it is you're blaming me for then whatever," Faith lay back against the bed and adopted a nonchalant pose with her arms folded behind her head and her legs crossed at the ankles. "The whole point is that we have this whole sham of a marriage to dissolve in less than twelve hours so why does it all even matter anyway?"

"Do you really have to ask me that?" Buffy felt like the air had been knocked out of her from Faith's comment and the lack of sincerity in her voice and the 'I could care less attitude' she was slipping into. After the brunette didn't respond, she continued. "We slept together Faith!"

"That was not sleeping," Faith grinned and wiggled her brow.

At that Buffy knew she was lost. Faith had now checked out she was going into her joking, self-defense mode to avoid anything serious and Buffy knew that she'd never get anything settled if she allowed her to stay that way.

"Please don't joke about this Faith, I'm trying to be serious. Something we should've done before this got way out of hand."

Properly chastised, Faith had the decency to look ashamed as she ducked her head slightly then pulled herself into a sitting position on the bed.

"I don't know Faith, I just would've liked to have been told that you remembered something, even if it didn't seem all that big, you still should've told me."

"Why?" Faith asked thoroughly confused, "what difference would it have made, we'd still be getting the annulment tomorrow anyway."

"I don't know, maybe things would've gone differently," Buffy rubbed at her temples.

"Oh c'mon Buffy…this is all bullshit. You're saying if you knew that I may or may not have remembered something about last night, then tonight wouldn't have happened?"

"That's not what I'm saying, I just would've like to have been given _all _options!"

"Tonight when we were together, we were both sober, there was no spell…it was me and you babe and it was hot as hell. I know all this fire in the air between us isn't just mine, so let's face it Buffy, you wanted it just as much as I did and yeah I gave it to you. Married or not, you're a hot piece of ass and I would've tapped that at any chance you'd given me. And that's what's up Buffy."

Buffy shot Faith a dirty look before standing up to find her clothes. She's had just about enough of the disrespectful slayer and this conversation had reached its shelf life. Buffy should've known that any conversation on a serious nature would end up about sex or something equally offensive. She walked around the room, picking up a few random items that she knew belonged to her.

"What's the matter B? You gonna stand over there and play the victim and make me out to be the bad guy? Like me wanting to have sex with you is so damn shocking?"

Buffy had had enough. She walked up to the smug looking slayer and got into as much of her space as the bed allowed and gaze down menacingly at her. "I'm not playing at anything here Faith. I can admit that I wanted you tonight…hell I still want you and if you weren't so stupid and arrogant we probably could've been still in bed getting rid of some of those things you have on that sick fantasy list of yours, which obviously is the reason why you've been so 'considerate' in the sex department and not wanting me to touch you til you've had your fill. What were you doing Faith, knocking them off in your head as you went? What else did you have in store for tonight?" Buffy asked, trying to provoke the seething slayer.

Faith shook her head, "You don't get it do you?"

"Why don't you tell me Faith, it'd be a new concept for you."

The brunette shook her head again. "I was just happy being with you, nothing you did to me mattered as long as I made you happy and you were satisfied. I wasn't thinking about any damn list!"

Buffy opened her mouth to rebuke the statement. Faith wasn't supposed to be saying incredibly sweet things like that to her when she was trying her best to stay pissed off, instead Buffy just shook her head You'll say anything to either provoke me or try to hurt me, so congratulations Faith, you managed both. All I needed to know was why you went ahead and press forward with the marriage when we clearly weren't under the influence of anything. I was a little shocked by it, but I wasn't even mad over it. What I was pissed about was the fact that you couldn't be truthful with me about it."

Faith rolled her eyes, "Fine Buffy….think whatever the hell you want. Why the fuck does it matter anyway, we're getting it annulled and we probably would've ended up fucking at some point anyway!" Faith yelled, still not understanding the big deal Buffy was making.

"God! Could you be any more full of yourself!" Buffy stood taller and backed away from Faith, she really was on the verge of hitting the clueless slayer and she didn't want things between her and Faith to resort back to that. "You're right Faith, I don't doubt that at some point we would've ended up in bed together but clearly for different reasons that you're thinking. However, our whole things started with a lie…spell that made us think we were in love and wanted to get married, then it was all over and we got married anyway because of another lie then we turn around and fucked like bunnies. All I'm saying is that I would've liked to have been given the choice of a clearer and informative decision if you would've told me. And now we can't even annul this on the grounds of no consummation, because uh…yeah."

"I thought Kennedy said there were other reasons though, I mean just because we sealed the deal doesn't mean anything right?" Faith asked, genuinely interested in the question.

"I'll have to call Angel and see what legal advice he can give me on this," Buffy announced, really not wanting to delve to her ex-lover the specifics of why they needed another reason to throw at the judge for an annulment. Hearing the broody vampires name called caused Faith to visibly roll her eyes and fold her arms over her chest. "But I'm sure there are other reasons…like me being completely insane to think that you would make a good spouse."

"Because Spike would be better, yeah?" Faith sneered, she couldn't help herself.

Buffy fixed her with a glare, "You're immature, you're a hot head and you're completely insufferable Faith and we're much better off as being friends, if we even can be anymore after this." Buffy instantly regretted what she was saying as soon as all of it was filtering out of her mouth, but she was hurt and angry and it was impossible for her not to want to hurt Faith back over this. Buffy watched Faith's face and she could see her eyes shining with tears, but Buffy knew Faith would never allow them to reach her face. At least not now. "We were both wrong in not stopping this Faith. I'm just as much to blame for this as you are, so I'm sorry for losing control and not being able to be a voice of reason in this. I'm sorry," she said one last time with a shuddered sigh, trying to hold back her tears, "we never should've gone this far."

Faith had just heard the words she knew would ultimately break her. She knew they would hurt, but she couldn't have prepared herself for the onslaught of pain that shot through her heart at hearing Buffy pretty much tell her that they'd probably ruin their friendship. She sat up and pulled her legs up to her chest and draped her arms over them as she watched the one person who'd ever given her everything she ever needed out of life. A chance. And she'd managed to fuck that up in a matter of three days because she couldn't control her emotions enough to put her own selfish needs to the side.

After picking up a few more things around the room, Buffy looked around to see if there was anything that she would immediately need and that's when her eyes feel on the sorrowful looking brunette on the bed. Her heart ached to reach out to her and tell her that they would be okay, but she knew that until Faith actually just said the words, in any way form or fashion…'I fucked up,' 'I was wrong', 'I'm sorry' or at least give a legit explanation of why she even allowed them to get married, she knew she couldn't back down.

For some reason the brunette didn't have a sense of right and wrong as far as this matter went and ultimately it made her angry rather than trying to figure out what she needed to do to make it better.

Buffy went inside of the bathroom and took a few necessities before walking back out to slip on her slippers, she haphazardly wiped at a few stray tears that had worked their way down her cheeks and headed towards one of her suitcases and threw the items in and head towards the door. She heard the rustling of the bed and she knew Faith had now stood.

"Buffy wait," Faith called out, causing Buffy to stop just before the door, her back still turned to Faith.

"I kinda figured some shit like this would happen. It's why I kept asking if you were sure about this and somehow I allowed you to convince me that we'd be okay…."

"I didn't have to convince you very hard," Buffy interrupted, "or it could've been the fact that you were about to get laid." Buffy bristled.

"Look…all I'm trying to say is that I didn't want this to happen okay. Your friendship means the world to me and I don't want to lose that or for things to change.

"Well looks like you didn't get your wish Faith. I'm guessing you had a whole friends with benefit theory going is that it? Well guess what? That's not going to work as well as you hoped it would because as you can see...things have already changed," Buffy glanced back briefly before turning back towards the door.

Faith caught a glimpse of the watery rimmed green eyes and it broke her heart. She wanted to reach out to her soon to be ex-wife and hold her and fix this mess they'd gotten themselves into. "Buffy wait okay," Faith pleaded. "It doesn't have to be like this…just don't go please. I'm…I'm sorry, okay?"

"Faith," Buffy whispered as she turned back around to face the beautiful slayer, she was glad to be hearing the words but knew that Faith really didn't get the full scope of the problem. "Do you even know what you're sorry for?"

Faith thought long and hard and Buffy could see the confusion written all over her face, but she could also see that Faith had no clue what had gone wrong or the where and how of it.

"I didn't think you did."

"C'mon Buffy...you're not being fair here!" Faith was getting pissed again. She'd said she was sorry and it still wasn't enough and Buffy was about to walk out on her and tear her world apart. She was on a self-preservation mode now; she was doing and saying anything it took to keep Buffy there, even if she was pissed off at her, because even if Buffy was mad at her, she would still be there, if only to yell at her. "You're getting pissed at me over this? Over something you initiated. I mean shit B…you wanted it too. How the fuck am I the one in the wrong when you threw yourself at me? I'd have to be an idiot to say no to that.

"No Faith, you're not an idiot for not saying no. You're just an idiot because that's just who you are. Asshole."

With that said, Faith was stunned into letting Buffy go. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She couldn't breathe and she felt her heart rate increase, with each beat she felt the irreparable damage it was causing and she fell back on her haunches and watched as the blonde went to her suitcase and threw the random items in and headed for the door.

"Wait B," Faith called out pathetically but was relieved when Buffy actually stopped.

Buffy stood there with her hand on the door knob, tears streaming down her face as she silently prayed Faith would tell her something, anything that would make her stay.

"Where you gonna be?" Was all Faith asked.

Another fresh round of tears flowed down Buffy's face as her grip tightened on the knob to turn it and open the door. "Anywhere but here," she said and walked out.

Faith stared at the door Buffy had just gone through and it all seemed like it did happen. Like it couldn't have happen, not after the night they'd just spent. Things were so perfect between them and now this. Faith flopped back on the bed and yelled out into the empty room then ran a hand roughly over her face. "What the fuck just happened?"


	17. Chapter 16

**AN: Okay, so this chapter is far shorter than the latest ones have been, but not nearly as short as some of the first ones. It's a new chapter nonetheless and it hasn't been 3 months since the last so can we be happy about that a least? :P At any rate, chapter was broken up to show the different POV's so as usual I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think, aside from the murderous tendencies this chapter will probably cause :D Once again, this is unbeta'd although I will give a shout out to my beta for letting me interrupt her ongoing Trek obsession and bother her with my ramblings for the remaining few chapters. **

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Buffy slowly pushed open the door to hers and Faith's suite as if she was expecting some kind of backlash when she stepped inside of the room. Cautiously sticking her head inside of the door, her body soon followed and her eyes took in the surroundings. Nothing looked out of place except for the lamp that had been knocked over earlier when she and Faith had torn through the room in an effort to make it to their bedroom. The food cart that had been on the terrace had been rolled into the living room area and half of its contents were missing and some of the trays had been haphazardly thrown on the floor. She smiled slightly; she knew there was never a moment that the bottomless pit slayer would see food wasted.

The suite was quiet, eerily so as she padded her way through and on her way to their bedroom fearing that Faith had left. Her eyes scanned around and she instantly noted that the mini bar had been raided, she knew because the door on the fridge was wide open and the bottles that lined the shelf were missing, she had no doubt in her mind who the alcohol thieving culprit was. Her fear quickly turned into panic at the thought that the boisterous slayer was running amok in Vegas intoxicated, doing God knows what with God knows who.

Making her way to their bedroom, Buffy could see that the door was slightly ajar. As she pushed it opened the rest of the way, the light from behind her filtered into the room. With a relieved sigh, her fears were put to rest because there on the bed, the raven haired slayer was sprawled out on her stomach with an arm hanging limply over the edge still clutching a bottle, and she was three sheets in the wind.

Buffy walked further into the room and the distinctive clinking noise of empty bottles made her look down to the floor. She took in the telltale signs of just how inebriated the other girl was when her foot came in contact with several of them scattered around on the floor. She frowned when she thought about the reasoning why Faith had probably drunk so much and in such a short period of time. She'd only been gone a few hours and in that amount of time it appeared that the brunette had managed to consume all of the alcohol in the suite.

Careful not to step on anymore debris, Buffy made her way over to the bed and kneeled down to carefully pry the bottle out of Faith's slayer grip and placed it on the night stand. Looking back to the unconscious slayer, Buffy carefully brushed aside the thick mane that hand fallen over the brunette's face and sighed heavily as thoughts of the night filtered through her mind.

The night had started off perfect. Faith had finally come back at her request and the chance at a real talk with the brunette looked like it was actually going to happen. As the night went on and the easy bantering and harmless flirting between them was back, Buffy knew she couldn't hide her desire any longer for her sister slayer. She had made the first move, and with a little reassurance, Faith had responded in kind and before she knew it, the brunette was turning her world inside out.

Buffy knew she could no longer hold back what she felt for the other girl, not after the night they'd shared. She felt her everywhere, in her head, her heart and in her soul. She was in love and Buffy knew she could no longer deny it, nor did she want too.

The things Faith had done to her and made her feel was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. The sexy slayer had set her body ablaze and even when she thought her body had been satiated, it betrayed her and longed to have the ravenous slayer take her again. She wanted Faith's hands, her tongue, her teeth, and her body all over her, preferably all at once.

Faith was the lover she always knew could take her to her boundaries and when she'd gotten her there, push her past them and drive her into a sea of pleasure that would have her begging for more. She wanted it all with the cocky slayer. She wanted it hot and heavy, hard and fast, soft and slow, in a bed, on the floor, up against the wall. Buffy didn't care; she just wanted Faith in any way form or fashion she could have her.

But circumstances intervened at the most inopportune time and caused Buffy to brand the unsuspecting slayer a liar before she knew the full story of what had took place that fateful night they'd gotten married. She knew she should've acted more rationally and tried to talk things through and actually got Faith's side of the events, but at the moment all she could feel was betrayal.

Her fears of Faith's 'get some, get gone' past was hitting her dead smack in the face when she found out that the brunette actually remembered, if only very little details of the previous night. The spell was over so there wasn't any reason for either of them to even entertain the notion of getting married. So naturally it made her question why Faith would actually allow them to go through with a wedding, knowing that they weren't even in any kind of relationship or had any romantic involvements period. It made no sense to her and made her question the brunette's motives, however, it also made her question why _she_ would even push for them to get married, even while under the influence.

However, before any explanations could be given, Buffy knew she had flown way off the handle in her reaction. But at the time, she just couldn't stand the thought that once again she'd been a pawn in another scheme to just get her in bed, use her and be done with her once it was all over. In that one single moment, Faith had made managed to break her heart into a thousand pieces, crush her soul while making her feel the hurt and uselessness of what a lifetime of lovers had made her feel.

There was her first time with Angel, the fated lover that had actually lost his soul and the demon inside of him made her feel like it all meant nothing and that she was nothing but an inexperience little girl that couldn't get him off if he fucked every crevice in her body. Then not soon after there was the Parker incident where she was seduced into caring about a boy that didn't exist, where she was lied to and played into thinking that she was special and in the end she was just another sexual conquest.

Riley had been different, in his love making he actually made her feel like she mattered, like he cared, but in the end when she couldn't readily give him what he needed, instead of giving her the time and having the patience she needed him to have to feel what she thought could eventually turn into a deep seated passionate love for him, he left her too.

Spike had been nothing but a mistake from day one. Even though she knew it was her who was using him, she knew deep down that he was doing nothing but using her as well. The whole point of the matter was that what she was doing with him made her feel sick, it was dirty and she felt ashamed. And even though he knew it, he couldn't care less as long as she was still sleeping with him, allowing her to stay in the dark, downward spiral with him all the while telling her how much he loved her.

Every one of these relationships had rushed back at Buffy all at once and had made her feel used as a little piece of each of them were thrown at her when she realized Faith hadn't been completely honest with her. She felt like a fool once again for making herself so easily assessable to her.

Some of the details about the whole night in question were soon on their way to be filled in for Buffy after she had scramble out of hers and Faith room and into the living room area and divested herself of the sheet that was thrown around her. She hastily slid on a pair of jeans and a shirt along with her slippers, the only footwear she'd managed to grab as she scrambled out of the suite.

As she stood there looking up and down the hall, she immediately she knew she'd made a grave mistake seeing as her keycard, her purse that held any cash she had and her i.d. were still inside the suite with Faith. She turned back towards the room, getting ready to pound on the door when a sultry voice from behind her stopped her.

"Hey honey, trouble in paradise? She didn't kick you out already did she?" It was Erin, the beautiful, well-endowed dancer that Buffy had befriended when they'd gotten here. The comment was meant to be a joke but upon seeing the distressed look Buffy was wearing and the fact that she was ready to burst into tears at any moment, Erin immediately sidled up to her and threw a comforting arm around her tiny shoulders, causing Steve to move closer as well. "What's wrong Buffy?"

"Is it Faith? Is she hurt or something?" Steve asked and upon seeing Buffy shake her head she tried again. "Did she hurt you?" He asked as he bent slightly to look Buffy in the eyes, portraying to her that spousal abuse would not be tolerated as long as he was around; he was a man of honor after all.

When all Buffy did was break down into a blubbering mess, Steve walked past the pair and stood in front of Buffy's and Faith's suite ready to knock. Buffy promptly grabbed his arm and halted his movements. He tried to pull his arm from her grip to no avail. Steve struggled slightly at the hand on his arm but seeing it was futile he gave up.

"No, she didn't physically hurt me or anything like that Steve," Buffy managed throw her sobbing and took a few calming breaths to alleviate her tears. "And I appreciate your concern, but Faith would wipe the floor of this entire hotel with your ass so please don't attempt to get into any confrontation with her." Steve nodded dumbly as he looked down at the strong grip the tiny blonde still had on him, one that he still could not get out of. "We just got into an argument and didn't agree on some things. She's just really difficult when she's mad and trying to talk to her is like trying to talk to a bull while holding a red cape in front of it." Buffy said with a sniff as she let go of him and wiped at her eyes.

"So I guess that mean the honeymoon is over then?" Erin asked, sympathetically. "Which I guess is about average for most Vegas fly by night marriages but I really thought you two were the real deal."

"We are…at least, I…I thought we were. I don't know," Buffy rubbed at her temple and squeezed her eyes shut at the impending headache she felt, "Faith and I are complicated and that's putting it lightly. We got married last night and it wasn't actually supposed to happen." Buffy informed the couple, knowing she couldn't get into the whole story with the other couple.

"Why not?" Steve asked as he rubbed at his arm where Buffy's fingers had been and winced at the pain he felt lingering.

Buffy knew she couldn't go too far into details about why she and Faith weren't supposed to be married. It'd be particularly hard to explain that they were actually under a spell that made them think they were in love and wanted to get married. However, it still didn't explain last night and her impromptu proposal and the recent sexual events that took place. Buffy knew that drunk or not, that was all hers and Faith doing.

"We had just decided against it, that's all. It wasn't the right time or place." Buffy supplied the weak explanation and hoped they wouldn't press for more.

"I don't think love gives you a choice in timing sweetheart, and the fact that you had been drinking doesn't negate the fact that you were going to get married anyway, right? The two of you just seemed genuinely in love and like you cared so much for each other that I didn't think it mattered how it happened, just that it did. You both were really happy together even before you got married last night." Erin provided to the distraught slaughter.

"Yeah, you couldn't keep your hands off each other and cut the night short after a quick post marriage celebration. Understandably of course," Steve piped in with a boyish grin.

"You…the two of you…were, like actually there?" Buffy asked, surprise showing in her face and in her tone.

"So you don't remember any of it?" Erin inquired with her own look of surprise when Buffy shook her head.

Steve laughed, "She was pretty wasted."

"C'mon honey, let's get you inside and get you cleaned up then we'll tell you all about it," Erin urged Buffy forward, leading her to their suite with Steve following behind.

"Are…are you sure, it looks like you're about to go out and…and I don't want to interrupt," Buffy sniffed as she motioned to Erin's barely there outfit and her heavy makeup. Her already redden face burned with embarrassment as she wondered if that's what she looked like when she was in stripper mode.

"We have a friend that's in trouble, that's more important. Right Stevie?" Erin directed the question to her more conservative dressed husband.

"Absolutely! What kind of gentleman would I be if I left a pretty girl crying out in the hallway all by her lonesome?" The corn fed Iowan man smiled genuinely. He reminded Buffy so much of Riley and she had to make herself not cringe at the sickly sweet nature of the guy and be grateful that the couple was being so nice to her.

Buffy smiled and nodded gratefully as she entered the suite. When they'd come to Vegas the last thing she expected was to find actual friends.

Erin walked in front of her and offered her a drink, "Something to calm your nerves?"

Buffy quickly refused, "No, thank you. That's the reason I'm in this mess now. Maybe some water?"

"I can do water," Steve said as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle and walked back over and handed it to the gloomy girl.

Buffy immediately took off the top and guzzled half the contents before pulling the bottle away from her mouth. She quickly swiped at her mouth for any excess water. With a sigh she looked to the newlyweds, "Tell me what happened."

* * *

Buffy had found out that after they'd left the first club, they rode around in limo for a while drinking champagne and generally just having a good time while taking in the Vegas nightlife scenery. The plan was to hit up another club but out of the blue, Buffy had yelled for the driver to stop and they'd found themselves in front of a wedding chapel.

Erin and Steve explained to Buffy that it was her idea that she and Faith get married at that moment, the explanation she provided was that they'd waited long enough to be together and that she loved the brunette too much to keep her waiting any longer.

It had been at that point that all of protesting for them to not go through with it was put to a halt and Faith had agreed to marry Buffy and telling her that she loved her too. Buffy was disappointed to find out that she and Faith had actually spoke words of love to each other and she couldn't remember. It did however make her wonder if it was one of the things that her now sleeping beauty had remembered from the previous night. There was also the fact that Faith had refused at first, but at Buffy's insistence Faith gave in.

Buffy's shoulders sagged; the guilt from the things she had said to the brunette was hitting her in waves. She wished Faith was awake so that she could tell her just how sorry she was and that she didn't mean any of it, but she guessed that it would have to wait until morning. She only hoped that Faith would be in a better mood and that her stubbornness wouldn't hinder her from listening to the apology.

"I love you," she said softly as she raised a hand and gently caressed Faith's cheek and brought her hand down to softly run her fingertips along the sleeping slayers bare shoulder and then her back. Leaning in, she pressed a firm kiss against the full lips and then peppered several more kisses against the brunette's face and then to her lips, "And I'm so, so sorry," she whispered against them and brought her hand back up to Faith's face and slowly traced her thumb across her brow and planted another kiss against her lips. Buffy felt Faith stir and respond slightly as her lips pressed back into hers.

"S'okay B," Faith mumbled sleepily against Buffy's lips and slowly turned while reaching out to grab Buffy's wrist to the hand that was still on her face and pulled her up. "I forgive you," she told the startled blonde in a barely audible whisper as she pulled Buffy onto the bed with her.

The movement and the fact that Faith had seemingly heard her startled the blonde as she climbed in bed beside the other girl. "Faith?" Buffy called out, wondering if she was actually awake.

"Mhmm?" Came the mumbled reply from the slumbering slayer.

"You…you're awake?" Buffy asked as she pulled back to look at Faith's face and noted that her eyes were still closed. When she got no reply and Faith only wrapped an arm around her and snuggled against her, Buffy smiled softly and with a chuckle threaded her fingers back through Faith's dark hair. "Of course you aren't," Buffy answered her own question then got comfortable as she laid her head against the pillow next to Faith's and curled up against her wife as she watched her sleeping.

* * *

The insistent shrill of the hotel's phone pulled Buffy out of her restful sleep. She frowned when the phone continued to ring and she wondered why Faith hadn't answered it, or more accurately thrown it clear across the room. Blinking rapidly, trying to get her eyes to focus as she opened them, Buffy raised her head slightly to look at the clock that sat beside the phone and saw that it was barely six in the morning. Who on earth would be calling them at this time of morning?

Buffy looked at the offensive noise making object and reached out a hand to snatch it up. "Hello?" She mumbled sleepily down the receiver. Her brows scrunched in confusion as she listened to the distressed British chatter on the other end of the line. "She what! What are you talking about Giles? Everything is fine, Faith is right here." Buffy blindly reached over to the other side of the bed and when her hand actually hit the soft cushion instead of a body her head jerked over to see that she was alone in the bed.

Still listening to her former watcher, Buffy sat up and reached over and switch on the lamp. She rubbed at her eyes and got them adjusted to the light and took a glance around the room. As she took in the information that Giles had been telling her, it all started to come together. She honed in on the adjoining bathroom to listen for signs of the missing slayer and there weren't any. The duffle bag that Faith had brought along on the trip was missing from the corner of the room that Buffy knew she kept it in and all other signs of the brunette, like her wallet that usually sat on the nightstand when they were in the room, her boots and any stray clothing that was bound to be lying around was also missing.

Buffy released a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of nausea settled in the pit of her stomach and she felt the need to vomit. She took in several deep breaths trying to lull the storm that was brewing inside of her but to no avail. She let her head fall back against the headboard with a thud and all she could see was red as Giles voice became fuzzy in her ears and her anger heightened at what he was telling her. Her heart pumped faster and her blood began to boil feeling like it was all rushing to her head. She felt dizzy while her temples began to throb making her head feel as if it was about to explode.

"Giles I…I have to go," she told him not caring that he was still talking and asking her questions as she reached over and hung up the phone. She sat back against the headboard and finally opened her eyes and stared straight ahead trying to process what Giles had just told her.

Faith had called him not long ago and informed him that she needed to take some time off. She wouldn't tell him where she would be or how long she would be gone, just that she needed to get away. Although Giles didn't say it, Buffy knew that Faith meant she needed to get away from _her_.

Buffy couldn't believe it, Faith had left her. She'd actually left her all alone in their hotel suite in Las Vegas while she was still sleeping without a word or so much as a note. The blonde was livid as she hastily got out of the bed and frantically searched around, for what exactly she couldn't be sure. Her mind was still trying to rationalize what was going on and deep down she'd hoped it wasn't real as she searched around for some sign that Faith was still there.

Finding nothing as she expected, Buffy sat down heavily on the bed and dropped her head in her hands to cover her face as she cried for the second time over the brunette in the course of twenty-four hours. She couldn't believe that something like this was happening to her yet again, that she was sitting here all alone after another lover had just up and left her without so much as a goodbye.

What made it all so much worse was that this time around it was Faith that had left her. Hers and Faith friendship had turned into something Buffy never knew she would come to depend on so much, and over time it developed into something so much more, something that she never expected. And now she realized that the one person she never imagined she could need so much was now the one person she knew she couldn't live without, and now she was gone. She thought briefly about trying to contact the brunette to find out why she had left, but thought better of the idea knowing that if Faith wanted to talk to her she would've never left in the first place.

Buffy sat with her head in her hands for a long moment before she finally steeled herself and raised her head and folded her hands in her lap and took several deep breaths. As her fingers laced together, it was then that she felt the absence of the wedding ring and band that Faith had given her. Her head jerked down and she held her left hand out to verify what she already knew to be true.

A fresh bout of nausea washed over her as she thought back to the night Faith had given the ring to her and how beautiful and genuine the words of love and a promise of forever sounded when she looked into her eyes. Now all she could think was how Faith had reached an all-time low and managed to top bailing on her and actually taking the time to swipe the wedding set off her finger as she slept.

Until that moment it all had felt surreal, like it was actually happening to someone else other than her. It was then that it all finally hit her and she realized that she, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, someone who had beaten countless of demons, survived numerous apocalypses, now felt useless when faced with the effects of failed love.

Faith had managed to make her feel like a helpless victim all over again and there was nothing she could do about it. She realized that the night that she and Faith had spent together was all a lie, effects of a spell that morphed into something much uglier and conniving all courtesy of Faith Lehane, her soon to be ex-wife.

"Damnit Faith! How could you?" The blonde yelled out into the room, feeling betrayed all over again.

* * *

Hours later, Buffy looked around the room one last time, making sure she'd left nothing behind. Taking one last glance at the bed that she'd spent a glorious night in with the missing brunette, she wished that it was her heart that she could leave behind and forget the whole weekend had ever happened. This wasn't the way things were supposed to happen to her, not again, and not with Faith.

She didn't want to be right about it, but it seemed as if her original assessment when she'd gotten so upset earlier after her and Faith had made love was correct. The wayward slayer was only in it to 'get some' and 'get gone'. She shook her head sadly knowing that no matter how much she loved Faith, she would never be able to forgive her for this, nor would she be able to forgive herself for putting herself out there to get hurt again.

In a matter of a night she and Faith had managed to destroy all they'd work for over the past year. Their friendship had been good, they depended on each other, they talked about things and more importantly there was an unspoken love and trust between them that existed on a platonic level, and it worked. Looking back at how things had turned out, Buffy knew that's how they should've stayed no matter how passion and how deep of an attraction they held for one another.

She felt foolish for listening to Willow and more importantly, her own heart and thinking that she and Faith could've been more because it's obviously not what the brunette wanted. It was stupid of her to think that the Faith had actually grown out of her phase of simply just wanting to get laid with no attachments.

No matter how she looked at it and wanted to believe that Faith could feel so much more for her and wanted to be with her exclusively she didn't. And no matter how much the brunette had seemingly changed on the outside, deep down, she was still the same girl that couldn't commit and was only looking out to add another notch on her slayer studded belt.

All in all, Buffy was hurting, more than she' ever thought she would at being abandoned once again by not only another lover but a friend as well. She had to face the fact that love was just not in the cards for her and no matter how much she loved Faith, she knew it was something she would just have to work at getting over.

As she looked over at her the abundance of bags that she would now have to lug alone, a fresh round of anger rushed over her at the fact that she could practically hear Faith's mocking tone that she'd brought way to much shit with her and for the fact that the brunette was not there to help her carry it all.

Finally making her way to the door, the elevator dinged and even with slayer strength, Buffy only had two hands and she struggled with the large luggage set Kennedy had bought for her while on the trip. With the larger of the set grasped in her right hand, one was tucked securely under her left arm while she let the smaller bag hang loosely at her wrist and let the fourth roll conveniently behind her as she tried to hastily make her way to the open door.

In her rush, the luggage she thought was safely tucked away under her arm had worked its way loose and fell forward into her path, causing her to tumble over it and the other luggage to fly forward as well. "I hate this place!" The blonde mumbled from her position on the hallway floor. She brought herself to her knees and looked at her scattered luggage. "It's an evil city, full of evil little delicious fruity drinks that make me want to get married and have sex with evil runaway slayers. Why couldn't we have made _this _place into a crater in the ground instead of Sunnydale?" The blonde pouted as she put her head in her hands.

"Are you talking to yourself?"

The blonde jerked her head upward to see Steve now smiling down at her. She groaned and put her face in her hands again in an effort to hide her embarrassment at the predicament she was in. "Sorry," she mumbled and looked back up at the man, "I'm just having the worst day in the history of bad days ever."

"Well here," Steve extended his hand out to the distraught blonde," let me help you."

"Thanks, you seem to be my lucky penny these days," Buffy said and took the offered hand and allowed Steve to help her up. "Where's Erin?" She questioned, noticing that for the first time since she'd met them that it was first time she'd seen one without the other, save for the time when she'd left to go to work with Erin.

"Long night, she's still asleep. I was about to order room service so I could surprise her with breakfast in bed before we to go back to the base today so I came out into the hallway so I wouldn't risk waking her."

Buffy looked dreamily at the sandy haired man, "That's really sweet of you."

Steve chuckled and rubbed at the back of his neck at the comment as he blushed, "I just want to take care of her is all."

"Well I'm happy for the two of you; all I got when I woke was the wakeup call from hell so it's good to know that chivalry isn't dead after all and there are still some people out there that can have a happily ever after even if it's not going to happen for me," Buffy rambled pitifully as she snatched up one of her bags and stood.

"You don't know that to be true," Steve tried to reassure as he bent down and picked up a bag as well.

"Trust me, it's not going to happen. The Powers That Be are making sure of it," Buffy complained.

"The who?"

"No one," Buffy mumbled as she picked up another bag.

"Okay then. You do know you could've called for a bellhop, right?" Steve asked as he took in the large, hefty bag Buffy easily lifted. Upon not getting an answer and seeing that the blonde seemed lost in thought Steve bent down and began helping Buffy with her luggage and took another approach. "So since Faith isn't out here helping with this, I take it the two of you haven't made up yet?"

Hearing the brunette's name caused Buffy to snap out of her stupor. "Faith who?" The blonde questioned bitterly.

"I take that as a no then," Steve commented with a dismal smile.

Buffy sighed, "You take it correctly, and she's actually gone."

"She left you?" Steve asked with a disbelieving look.

"She did, and trust me, that look," Buffy pointed to Steve's face, "was probably what I can imagine mine looked like when I found out. Probably only worse…much worse," Buffy said feeling a fresh bout of tears threatening to spill over and still not believing what was happening. Over time, Faith had shown that she could be depended on, that she had actually changed from the wayward slayer she once was and now she managed to smash that whole image in a day.

"Well I'm sure you guys will work it out," Steve replied, his voice sounding hopeful.

"I really don't see any making up for us happening any time soon…or ever," Buffy stated, resisting the urge to break down in front of Steve again.

"Well that's really unfortunate. I'm not really sure what's going on between the two of you or how it all fell apart so quick, but the two of you just seemed genuinely happy last night, so I don't understand it. I even asked her if she was so against getting married that night why did she finally agree, and she told me that you've always been it for her and that she's never wanted anyone more than she's wanted you."

"She…she said that?" Buffy asked in awe as she mulled over the words the Steve had just said to her. Faith had confessed her feelings and gave a somewhat explanation on why she allowed them to get married last night to a complete stranger. Even though she wanted to believe that what Steve had told her was true and that Faith really meant it, the fact that the brunette was missing in action gave her all the proof she needed that Faith was probably just talking out of her head from the alcohol.

"Yeah, when you and Erin were off doing last minute stuff in the chapel, we talked for a bit and I can tell you, it's hard to fake that kind of adoration she had in her eyes when she was watching you. But I don't know," Steve said with a shrug. "It's not exactly like we've known you guys for that long, but I know I have seen enough of these fly by night Vegas couple to know that you guys aren't one of them." Steve said brightly. "So I just think that whatever has gone wrong overnight between you guys, you at least owe it to yourself to figure out why and how it got that way, so just talk to her Buffy. Things can't be that bad right?"

"Right," Buffy nodded sullenly not wanting to go further into her and Faith's nonexistent relationship anymore.

"Right on!" Steve said enthusiastically. "Now let's get these down stairs for you," he motioned with the bags he now had in his grip.

"Thanks Steve," Buffy said with a grateful smile and followed him into the elevator.

* * *

Stepping out of the elevator, Buffy felt her cellphone began to vibrate in her pocket. It had been ringing since she'd gotten off the phone with Giles earlier, but she just didn't have the heart to talk to whoever it was on the other line. She figured it was probably Willow calling trying to console her with having heard the news that Faith had left, or possibly Giles calling back since she did abruptly hang up on him before. Deciding to ignore it for the moment, she continued to move in the direction of the front desk.

"Ah here we are," Steve told her as he sat her bags down near the front desk.

"Thanks again," Buffy told him with another smile, even though it didn't reach her eyes, she still felt appreciative to the man for his help and kind words.

"It was my pleasure, now go find your wife," He told her and laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze, "talk it over and I'm sure things will work out for you two."

Buffy chuckled humorously, "I don't know if that's going to happen, but really, thank you Steve, you've been a big help and tell Erin thank you and goodbye for me. I'm sorry we couldn't have done this on better terms."

"Me too, and I'll be sure to tell her. _When_ things work out for you, if you guys are ever in Vegas again look us up, okay?" He told Buffy and bided farewell.

"Will do," She told him, but deep down knowing under no circumstances, least it be to take care of their annulment business which they were supposed to be doing now and was still hanging up in the air with the other slayer missing, that her and Faith would not be visiting Las Vegas ever again, at least not together.

Buffy felt the insistent buzzing once again of her phone in her pocket, with a sigh she sat the bags she was carrying down and fished it out of her pocket to look at who had been calling her non-stop. Upon first look, she didn't recognize the number and immediately thought about that fact that it could be Faith calling from wherever it was she'd managed to disappear to in the past few hours.

While trying to decide whether or not she wanted to answer it if it was the errant brunette, the buzzing stopped. Looking through her missed calls, Buffy saw that it was indeed the same number that had been calling her for the past hour and even though she was thoroughly pissed off at Faith, her heart sunk at the thought that she could've been missing her phone calls. Just as the phone went black from being idled, it immediately lit up again with the same missed phone number.

This time without hesitation, Buffy's heart decided for her and she hit the answer button. "Hello?" She said with her heart in her throat. Her face fell and her heart immediately dropped to into the pit of her stomach as she heard the voice that definitely was not the husky burr she was hoping to hear.

"What is it Angel?" Buffy asked with an eye roll. It wasn't that she was angry with her ex-vampire lover; after all they were still able to act civil even if their conversation was a little strained when they saw each other, the whole doomed from the start romance tended to have that effect, she just wasn't in the mood plus there was the disappoint of her expectations failing her yet again. "Is there something that needs killing, something apocalypty headed our way or anything demony that needs beaten to a pulp, because trust me I'm your girl and could do with a bit of violence right about now."

Buffy's eyes widened suddenly at Angel's words, he'd told her that Faith had called him and told him what had happened. "What exactly did she tell you?" She asked, wondering if the other slayer would be that childish to call and gloat to her ex how she had bedded her, surely Faith wasn't that cynical even if she did always joke about hating that Angel got their first. Now the comment made so much more sense.

The blonde slayer chewed at her bottom lip as Angel explained that Faith had called wondering about the annulment that she'd apparently thought Buffy had called him to discuss. He then went on to ask if it really were true that she and Faith had gotten married and if so why was it that he didn't know that she and Faith were involved.

"Faith and I aren't involved, at least not now anyway," Buffy told him, not really knowing why. It's possible she wanted to say it out loud to make her own self believe that it was true as well, "And other than the fact that I didn't want an evil law firm involved, I didn't think it was any of _your_ business," Buffy bristled at the tone Angel had taken with her when he'd asked. It was laced with a tinge of what she could only decipher as offense and the ever present jealousy he always had whenever someone other than him was discussed in a romantic nature with her.

Properly chastised and after a long tense pause, Angel went on to tell her that in finding out that Buffy hadn't called and asked him to draw up the necessary paperwork that Faith had indeed asked him too, offering up the explanation that they were drunk and that it was all a big mistake. Once again, Buffy found herself seeing the red rage that she'd initially saw when she found out that Faith had left her. Not only had she called Giles and told him of her plans to leave, to add insult to injury she had also called her ex, evil law firm owning boyfriend and got him involved as too.

Sure, Buffy knew she was the one that brought up the fact that she would call Angel to get his help in the matter and she could only assume it was the reason Faith had called him thinking that she actually had, but to know that Faith had went ahead and initiated plans to dissolve their marriage without her felt like another slap in the face to the blonde.

"Look Angel, I appreciate your willingness to help and I'm sure it wasn't even for selfish reasons," she bit out sarcastically, "but like I said before, I really don't want you involved so don't bother, I'll get Giles to take care of it so you just tell Faith if she wants this resolved she's going to have to come back to Cleveland to do it." Buffy offered, knowing that this was the easy way out for Faith, and not willing to give the brunette the satisfaction of not having to see her when they did this.

Tuning back in to the broody vampire, he told Buffy that he'd already had the papers drawn up and that Faith had already been there to sign them and all that was needed to make their marriage null and void was her signature and it would be like it never existed.

Buffy's whole body shook with rage by the news and she began pacing in the lobby in effort to find something to do with herself as she listened to what Angel was telling her. Obviously Faith had left far earlier than even she had anticipated and apparently knowing that the vampire would still be up before dawn she had already been to see Angel before she even called Giles.

"Where is she?" Buffy ground out through gritted teeth, "And don't lie to me Angel; if Faith is there with you then just tell me." She snapped as he confirmed her suspicions that Faith had gotten their before dawn and was long gone. He explained how he'd tried calling her when the brunette had first arrived to ensure it was really true but Faith had shown him the marriage certificate and insisted that he went ahead and took care of the matter as soon as possible for both hers and Buffy's sake.

"Fine!" Buffy yelled down the line while ignoring the curious looks she was getting, "if this is what she wants then I'll be sure to make a little detour to L.A. to give that bitch her freedom as soon as I can and be sure to tell her to stay the hell away from me and out of Cleveland!" Buffy snapped then hung up the phone.


	18. Chapter 17

**AN: Thanks once again to the anons that I can't reply too. I will say that I left the dentist with my teeth in good shape last week, but I think after writing this chapter I may have developed a few cavities. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to my beta for knocking off a few years of my life with this one :P **

**Chapter 17**

* * *

Faith sat on the edge of the building directly across from the hotel she and Buffy had been staying in with her eyes glued to the front entrance. She'd been sitting there for hours and wishing with every minute that she hadn't quite smoking. She wasn't supposed to be here, not only here as in sitting up on a roof staking out the hotel and watching for a certain blonde slayer, but back here in Las Vegas period. She had gotten a far enough head start to be almost across the international dateline by now.

Her plan had been to disappear for a while, or at least until she'd given Buffy enough space and time to be able to stand to look at her again. Problem with that was, she couldn't think of a number in her head in terms of days or months that would suffice for the betrayal she'd seen in the blondes eyes when she'd walked out.

Seeing that their private jet wasn't due back to pick them up until a few hours before it was time for them to leave, courtesy of the city that never sleeps, Faith was able to procure a chartered flight out of Las Vegas to usher her the short distance to Los Angeles and take care of business.

She'd woken up a little after 2 a.m. with her kidney's threatening to return her back to her bed wetting toddler years. Slayer metabolism was a wonderful thing, but only when given the proper amount of time for it to work. Faith was still drunk, her eyes burned, her head was pounding and on top of it all, she was confused and in her state of confusion she started to panic a little.

She knew without doubt that she was alone when she took her headlong dive into dejection and self-loathing and raided the suite of all of its alcoholic contents so she was surprised to find that she wasn't alone in bed.

Looking over into the angelic face of her bed mate, the light that spilled through the doorway afforded her with the view of Buffy sleeping soundly next to her. She knew that Buffy had left her keycard when she'd left the room which led her to believe that the blonde had no intention of returning any time soon, so she could only make the assumption that the blonde had been let in by one of the hotel's staff. What she couldn't figure out was why Buffy had come back or more precisely why she was lying beside her.

A few reasons popped into her mind, all negative of course. One being that the blonde slayer simply had nowhere else to go and the Princess couldn't be bothered with sleeping on the couch, no matter how comfortable it was. Faith imagined Buffy had lain beside her, cursing her for not being awake so she could once again start another verbal assault on her.

What was worse was that Faith had regretted not being awake as well when the blonde had return so she could receive the tongue lashing, or whatever punishment Buffy deemed necessary. Even though she had initially rebelled against the insults and accusations the other girl was making, deep down, Faith truly felt she deserved it.

She felt like scum, the lowest to ever walk the earth and in that moment she didn't deserve to be lying beside the woman she had tricked into being with her. It made her feel low and downright dirty, so the only thing she could think of was to get as far away from the sleeping slayer as possible.

Buffy had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with her and she wasn't going to make things worse by being there when she woke up. Faith ran a hand groggy over her face and sat up in bed and looked around assessing the room. She knew she only had only brought a few things and it wouldn't take her long to gather them.

The other things she had working in her favor was that she was an expert at leaving without detection. She had done this countless times and even though the nameless faces never mattered before, the one of her heart's desire definitely did and it tore her up inside to have to leave her this way. But with the things that Buffy had said to her, all but telling her that she wasn't worthy and particularly that she didn't know if they could even be friends anymore was hitting her dead smack in the face.

Faith knew she had to fix this, that she would do anything for the blonde slayer even if it killed her. She would make sure the night in question was nothing but a memory in her own mind and try to erase away as much of its ugliness that she could. Faith knew what she had to do, and the only way to ensure that she and Buffy had some semblance of a chance later on down the road was to try to make things right again.

Faith took one last look around the room, making sure nothing of hers lingered as a reminder for her one time lover. Finding nothing, she gazed upon Buffy's face one last time letting her eyes sweep over the gorgeous features, remembering every detail she knew she wouldn't soon forget. Her eyes began to glass over at the unshed tears that had formed. She wiped hastily at her eyes, and in her hazy view, she saw the scattered light casting off of the diamond ring on Buffy's hand that was resting on the pillow.

She quietly sat her bag on the floor and padded her way over to the bed. She gently lowered herself to one knee in front of the slumbering slayer. She inhaled and exhaled quietly and brought her hand down and lightly brushed it over Buffy's fingers, then over the rings.

Faith turned away with her eyes squeezed shut as she warded off the tears that welled up in her eyes. The ring was the last physical reminder that Buffy would have that the nightmare of a marriage existed and she didn't want her to have any.

She never took her eyes off Buffy's face as she slowly she reached down to pull the wedding set off the blonde's finger. Trying to be as gentle as possible, the rings remained unmoving on their owner's finger. She gave a few insistent tugs and still they didn't budge. Faith sighed as she gently picked up Buffy's hand, her breath hitched as she felt the blonde stir a little, but luckily Buffy slept like a rock and she didn't wake.

She brought Buffy's hand slowly to her mouth and wrapped her lips around the ring laced digit. She lubricated the unmoving objects and slowly slid her tongue around them. She prayed that Buffy wouldn't choose this moment to wake up; to say things would be awkward would be an understatement. Taking her teeth and placing them at the base of Buffy's finger, she pulled slightly and felt the metal begin to give way. It was then that she was able to slowly slide the rings off, her warm mouth gliding along the slender digit. Buffy moaned before she shifted in her sleep while Faith held her breath and watched as the blonde turned away and snuggled against her pillow.

It wasn't until the brunette had gently got off the bed, picked up her bag and swiftly made her way through and out of the suite that a rush of air exited out of her lungs. Faith let her bag hit the floor with a thud and she leaned back against the door and immediately doubled over, feeling like she'd been punched in the gut from the weight of it all hitting her. She held out her hand and let the rings she still held in her mouth drop then immediately clutched them in her palm.

She rested her forearms against her thighs and took in several deep breaths trying to ward off the panic attack she felt settling in. She couldn't let it all fall apart now. Things were finally on their way to being over; now all she had to do was find herself a law firm headed by a vampire that would be up at this hour and take care of the last remaining step in Buffy's nightmare.

And after finally convincing Angel to draw up the necessary paperwork for the annulment and leaving L.A., it was her intentions to disappear for a while and ease her way back to Cleveland when she thought things had calmed down enough to return. She had called Giles to let him know that she would be away for a while, she wouldn't tell him where or how long she'd be because quite frankly, she had no clue herself.

She knew it was a shitty plan but it was the only one she had at the moment. She wasn't even sure where she would go. Other than Boston and Sunnydale, which eight months of that time she was in a coma, the only other place she'd ever spent more than six months in was prison. For obvious reasons Sunnydale and prison were definitely not an option and Boston held nothing for her anymore but a shitload of bad memories.

Her thoughts kept settling back to Cleveland, which was why the former rogue slayer was sitting on the top of the building, wringing her hands and trying to figure out what her next move was going to be. It had been where she'd lived for the past year, she had family there and people that counted on her, a job she loved and more importantly, it was where the woman she loved lived and after all, home is where the heart is. Which is why she'd found herself gravitating back to Las Vegas where she'd left her heart.

After having enough time for her head to settle and for herself to calm down, in those moments of wakening clarity, Faith's mind shuffled through the events since she'd first arrived back at the hotel suite and encountered Buffy in the hot tub.

She knew she should've been honest with Buffy and felt horrible that she hadn't been when she'd first returned back to the suite. But instead, Faith had apologized for running away and not sticking around to talk things out about the annulment. Buffy had easily accepted the apology and things went back to being good between them, which was good because Faith didn't have the nerve to tell Buffy the truth about what had actually happened the night before, and quite frankly, she didn't think that it mattered.

It had been decided that they would get the annulment and move on from the mistake that was their quickie Vegas nuptials, and on top of that, Buffy didn't remember any of it. Faith figured that there was no need to ruin the peaceful ambience that they'd fallen back into.

It wasn't until she had Buffy's tongue stuck so far down her throat that it threatened to pull the truth from her, that the ugly little burden of truth started prickling at her conscience. However, instead of delving into the details of the marriage, she decided that there was no way she was going to pass up the opportunity that was being given to her yet again, she could only try to make sure that Buffy knew what it was she was doing and that what they were doing was truly what she wanted.

This apparently proved to be a mistake on Faith's part. After one little slip of the tongue everything started falling apart rapidly and to say that Faith was surprised at the turn of events would be an understatement. In her mind, things had been going well, extremely well in fact. She had been lying with the girl of her dreams after just having had the hottest, most passionate sex she'd never knew could exist and she actually felt good about it. She felt like she could've stayed there forever, hell she wanted to stay there forever worshiping the woman she knew without a doubt she was in love with.

Faith had never been one to linger around after sex, but right then and there she knew she wasn't going anywhere. Everything had felt so simple and easy lying there with Buffy, and even though it all felt new and she knew everything from that point on would change for them when they decided to go above and beyond that extra step in their relationship, it felt comfortable and Faith knew it was what she wanted.

There was no awkward or uneasy silence between them, things were playful, light, and then there was more sex. It was just an easy togetherness that she had to admit she liked very much. Even without the sex, just being with Buffy had always made her feel calm and like she belonged and was actually wanted. It was almost as if the blonde would cling to her and it was a feeling Faith couldn't deny made her feel giddy with excitement cause deep down she wanted to keep Buffy with her as much as she could.

Their relationship was just so uncomplicated now that it made all the bad stuff that they'd done to each other seem like it'd all happened to someone else. Of course they still argued, but most of it seemed like a lovers quarrel and they usually made up within a few days and they were back to normal.

Now all of that had changed. Faith knew that when she and Buffy made the decision to sleep together that it would forever change the nature of their relationship; she just didn't know it would change it for the worse. She had felt caught off guard and defensive when Buffy had suddenly turned on her and began insulting and calling her a liar.

It was like the blonde slayer wasn't listening to her and the more it went on, it became Faith's natural instinct to fight back and try to inflict as much pain as she was receiving. Unluckily for her it had worked and she'd managed to push Buffy even further away. When she came to the realization that Buffy was in fact leaving, it was then that she knew she'd messed up big time and tried to apologize, but deep down she knew it was too late. When it was all said and done, Buffy was gone and Faith was left wondering just how she could let it all go wrong, when it all felt so right.

With her mind made up, Faith quickly pushed herself up from her sitting position and made her way off the roof, headed for the hotel. She knew Buffy hadn't left yet, she'd come back immediately after she'd left L.A. which was when she'd called Giles letting him know of her plans to leave knowing he'd call Buffy immediately to find out what was going on. However, just to be sure she stopped at the front desk on the off chance that the blonde had managed to leave out of an exit that wasn't the front door.

Seeing that Buffy hadn't checked out yet, Faith made her way to the elevator and waited impatiently for the doors to open so she could enter and make her way up.

* * *

"I need to check out please," Buffy huffed as she slammed her keycard on the desk. She rested her elbow against the desk with her eyes closed and rubbed at her throbbing temple, willing herself to calm down. She was still processing the information Angel had just given her and she still couldn't believe that Faith had gone through such lengths and ran out on her.

"Ah Mrs. Lehane, good to see you again," came the cheery voice from behind the desk, it caused Buffy to open her eyes and look up to shoot daggers at the person addressing her by her newly acquired surname. It was Larry, the manager they'd encounter when they'd first arrived at the hotel.

"Hi Larry," Buffy greeted him with not much enthusiasm. "I just need to check out please and get a bellhop for these bags. Also, could you get my driver to pull out front; I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Done, done and done Mrs. Lehane, but aren't you going to wait for the missus?" Larry asked as he began typing on the computer in front of him.

"No, I'm sure it should show she's already checked out, Faith left earlier this morning," Buffy said with an aggravated sigh.

"Well it does shows where she checked out, but she just came through and then headed towards the elevators," he informed.

"She what?" Buffy asked and stood up straighter with shock clearly registering on her face. "Are you sure it was my...wife?" The word felt foreign on Buffy's tongue but she had to be sure.

"Why yes, she inquired whether or not you had checked out and in hearing that you hadn't, she headed in the direction of the elevators, you just missed her in fact."

Buffy glared menacingly as she pushed herself away from the desk and headed towards the elevators.

* * *

"Faith!" Steve yelled as he closed his phone and watched the brunette barrel out of the elevator and head down the hallway.

The slayer turned to face the direction she'd heard her name called from to find Steve standing there. "Not now man," she told him as she continued in a backwards walk to her former suite.

"What're you doing here?" He asked.

"Looking for Buffy," she answered as she turned back around and stopped in front of the suite and knocked.

"Yeah but she isn't in there, she left already. She said you had left as well. What's going on?" He asked in confusion.

"She what? But the guy at the front desk said she was still here!"

"Well she just left. I helped her take her bags down. You probably missed her by a few minutes or so, she thought you'd left. I thought you were for real about her Faith and you do this to her. What's going on?" Steve scolded.

Faith jogged back to the elevator and pushed the button to summon for the lift. "Look dude, I appreciate your concern for my girl, I really do, but you don't know shit about me so you need to back off, yeah?" Faith looked over menacingly at the man and then back to the elevator that had yet to open.

"I'm just saying Faith, we found her last night and she was real broken up. I hated seeing her like that." The sandy haired man continued, but his tone was much softer.

Faith knew that Buffy had been upset when she'd left their suite last night, but to hear it out loud by someone who had found her, broke her heart and made her feel like an asshole all over again. "Look Steve, I fucked up okay and I'm here to fix it, that's all you need to know." Faith said as she gave up waiting on the elevator and darted off to the stairwell.

She opened the door and stepped through but turned back before completely disappearing. "Thanks for whatever you did for her last night and for helping her today. You're a real fucking gentleman Steve, Erin's a lucky girl. Take care of her." Faith said with an approving nod before taking off.

* * *

Annoyed that she had to wait for the other patrons to get off at their floor, Buffy cursed the fact that they had been upgraded to the honeymoon suite on the penthouse floor. She stepped out of the elevator and looked in the direction of her former suite. "I swear the two of you have the worst timing ever." She turned her head in the direction where the voice came from to see Steve still standing there. "You just missed her, now go!"

Buffy huffed with an eye roll, yelled her thanks over her shoulder as she darted back into the elevator before it closed and grumpily hit the down button. She crossed her arms over her chest and impatiently tapped her foot as she watched the numbers light up as the elevator descended. She fought the urge to yell out as it sometimes stopped and someone got on, but she managed to smile politely while she silently stewed. She wanted to yell 'finally' when the elevator finally hit the lobby floor and she waited while some of the others filed out in front of her.

She let out a surprised squeal and resisted the urge to fight against what was happening until she realized that it was Faith who had appeared suddenly out of nowhere and grabbed her around the waist and ushered her back into the elevator.

"Newlyweds," Faith gave as a way explanation at the curious looks they were receiving. She stood in front of the bristling slayer and planted her hands at her slender hips and took in murderous glare she was receiving. Thinking that now was an inappropriate time to tell the blonde slayer how hot she looked when she was pissed, Faith opted to move around to stand behind Buffy instead and wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed her front impossibly closer against Buffy's back.

Buffy stood vigil and unmoving in the brunette's arms. The strong slayer grip and the closeness infuriated and turned her on at the same time as she felt Faith's warm breath against her ear. But not wanting to make a scene by pushing Faith away, Buffy bided her time and waited until the last person stepped out onto their floor before she wrestled herself out of Faith's arm and leaned forward to forcibly hit the 'emergency stop' button on the elevator causing it to jerk to a halt.

Buffy swiftly turned on her heels to face the brunette, and before Faith could open her mouth to say anything she unexpectedly delivered a slayer sized slap to her face.

"Whoa!" Faith yelped as her head was whipped to the side from the force of the blow. She threaded her fingers back through her hair to remove the hair that had fallen in her face as her head lolled to the side. She lifted her head back to face Buffy with her mouth gaping at the unexpected blow only to receive another slap to the face.

"Fucking hell Buffy, will you stopping hitting me?" Faith yelled as she brought her hand up to place against her cheek. She hissed at the stinging sensation her warm hand provided against her already throbbing face. "Fuck, you're making me regret coming back already since this is the thanks I get for my effort."

"Thanks? You seriously want me to be thanking you right now you selfish bitch?" Buffy advanced on the unsuspecting slayer and pressed a hand against chest, forcibly pushing her back against the elevator wall and grabbed a fist-full of Faith's shirt, "because the way I see it, you're lucky you're still breathing right now Faith." Buffy growled as she clutched the shirt into her fist tighter.

"Okay, okay maybe I deserved that," the brunette conceded, "but fuck...did you have to hit me twice, and in the same spot because you don't exactly hit like a girl B." Faith told the pissed off blonde as she touched at her face again. "And I get it, you're pissed...but will you just fucking back off already," Faith angrily stated and raised a hand to the arm that held her prisoner against the elevator wall in an effort to pry herself free.

"Do not touch me Faith," Buffy ground out between gritted teeth. "You don't ever get to touch me again, do you understand?"

"Yeah, I get it," Faith said softly, releasing the blonde and holding her hand up in a placating gesture. "Now that you've gotten that out of your system, do you at least feel better?"

Buffy glared at Faith, and her fist closed even tighter around her shirt. She opened her mouth to spew out another threat, but in that moment, an elevator attendant decided to interrupt and came over the loud speaker to ask if everyone was okay.

"For now," Buffy said cryptically as she glared at the brunette.

"Yeah, it's only two of us in here and we're both fine," Faith called out. "Well one of is, I think I may have permanent nerve damage in my face," Faith grumbled as her fingers prodded around her still throbbing face.

"Ma'am, are you sure everything is okay in there?" The attendant asked, sounding worried.

"Yes!" Both girls yelled out of aggravation in the direction of the intercom.

"Okay good then, we'll get the elevator back up and running in just a few minutes once we've checked everything over to make sure it's working properly." He told them and the intercom crackled, letting them know that he was gone.

"Look Buffy, I didn't come here to fight with you okay. I just came to talk, so can we do that without the bitch slapping?" Faith asked.

Buffy released the hold she had on Faith with a shove and threw her hands up in a disbelieving manner, "Oh so now you want to talk?" She laughed humorously and took a few steps back. "You know what Faith?" Buffy asked rhetorically as she began pacing around in the small space. "The time for talking would've been last night when I asked you why you didn't tell me you remember that we got married, but no...all you did was look at me with that little stupid confused look on your face, much like the one you're wearing now," Buffy stopped pacing and turned and looked at Faith and pointed at her to indicate the expression on her face.

"Or maybe we could've talked, oh I don't know...let's say this morning, but oh...I forgot we couldn't because...You. Weren't. There," Buffy put emphasis on the last part by stepping into the brunette's face and poking her in the chest with each word.

Faith resisted the urge to lash back out at Buffy and remind the furious slayer that she had in fact tried to talk to her last night and somewhat explain her actions but with her prematurely branding her a liar, it had caused her to withdraw and fight back. So instead of fighting back now, because that wasn't what she was here for, Faith took a calming breath and sunk back against the wall and listened while the fuming blonde continued.

"In fact why are you even here Faith?" Buffy threw her arms up and let them drop back dramatically to her side.

"Told you to talk things over," Faith explained.

"That's not what I mean," Buffy stated and at Faith's "stupid little confused" expression, she explained further. "I mean why are you here period. As in why did you even come to Cleveland with me, why leave L.A. with us when you had your freedom to go anywhere you wanted? Was it all just a ploy from the get go to see how far you could push me, to see if you could get to me?"

Faith shook her head slightly. She was still confused and not understanding Buffy's line of questioning and just where it was all headed, but from the sound of it, she knew she wasn't going to like it. "I'm not following here Buffy; just what the hell are you asking me?"

"Was this all just a game to you? Was it all nothing but a scheme, your whole 'get some, get gone' routine...is this what it was all about? Were you just biding your time, pretending you gave a damn about me, about the work we were doing at the academy, about anything just so you could impress us all...impress me and then pull a stunt like this?"

Faith looked incredulously at what Buffy was proposing, her confusion quickly turning into anger. "Are you fucking kidding me? You seriously think this was all some elaborate plotting by me to what...to get in your pants?" Faith asked disbelievingly.

Buffy shrugged slightly and raised a curious brow, crossed her arms over her chest. "Well...was it?"

"Are you out of your fucking mind woman?" Faith asked as she pushed away from the wall to stand in front of Buffy with a scowl. "Do you really think that little of me and don't think I take my job serious? And seriously, do you really think that much of yourself that I would actually wait around to plot for a whole fucking year to get you into bed? Don't fucking flatter yourself Princess, I'm not that damn desperate."

Buffy seemed to be thinking it over, and now that Faith had said it out loud it did seem kind of ridiculous especially since the sex on legs brunette could've been sleeping with anyone she wanted in Cleveland instead of chasing after her. In fact, at one point, Faith had indeed been sleeping around, with Robin Wood no less and Buffy couldn't stand the fact that she was, so she subtly broke up that little arrangement. However, Buffy wasn't going to back down from her theory that Faith was only trying to get some and get gone.

"Desperate? No. But you're always trying to push my buttons with the sexual innuendos and the subtle touching, trying to get me to respond and when I finally do, the games over for you, right? You're still all about getting some and getting gone and you more than proved that last night."

It was Faith's turn to laugh humorously as she shook her head and turned her back on the blonde and raised her arms in a 'why me' gesture before she turned back to face Buffy. "Yeah I may have been all about the get some get gone a long time ago, but I've never been so masochistic to believe that I even had a chance with you so why would I even bother? But yeah, I flirted and teased ya, thinking I could get a rise out of ya because it was fun and it was sexy as hell when I made you blush and you pretended that you didn't like it...so yeah okay maybe that does make me a little masochistic. But guess what Blondie?" Faith moved uncomfortably closer to the little blonde, making her drop her arms and back up a little.

"You weren't pretending! And you were always right there in the thick of it with me with the sex talk and the flirting so get some, get gone or not, you wanted to give it up just as much as I wanted you to give it to me, so fuck you Buffy for trying to dump all this shit on me again." Faith seethed, she couldn't believe Buffy would dare to think so little of her now after all they'd overcome. "I honestly can't believe that you'd think I'd even do something like that to you, when you know damn well that's not what I'm about anymore." Faith said before turning back around and shook her head with an offended look on her face.

Buffy was a little dazed and miffed at Faith's rant. Just because it was all true didn't mean she wanted to be called out on it because yes, she knew she wanted Faith just as much as Faith wanted her. And despite the fact that Faith had walked out on her she still wanted her, but of course she couldn't tell her that so instead she rolled her eyes and added fuel to the flame. "Since when Faith? Because you more than proved last night it's exactly still what you're all about."

"This is bullshit! I'm out of here," Faith stated as she shook her head and made an attempt to push past Buffy and to the elevator panel.

"Oh so that it then?" Buffy asked as she stood in Faith's path, blocking her effort to get the elevator moving again. "Are we done talking because you say so? And now what? You're going to take the cowards way out like you did before and run out on me again?" Buffy questioned off in succession, her temper starting to flare even more now that Faith was trying to retreat again. "I mean it has been kind of your M.O. since I've known you to take off when your loyalty is questioned or things aren't going exactly your way."

"Look Buffy I don't need this shit okay? I came here to apologize for what I did and all you can do is give me shit about it. So either way looks like I'm fucked. I left because I thought it was what you wanted and I'm wrong and I come back to tell you that I'm sorry and I'm wrong. What more can I do?"

"You can start by telling me why you decided to pull a get some get gone on me, then turn around and get all klepto girl on me. Because I have to say, all this talk about how much you've changed but then you go and pull a want take have on me while I was sleeping, doesn't scream progression to me Faith."

Faith shook her head dejectedly, "I took the ring because I didn't want you to have any reminders of this whole mess I made. And yeah I admit, it wasn't the most tactful way but I wasn't gonna actually wake you up to ask for it back either, so I didn't know what else to do," Faith said with a shrug.

"And secondly," the brunette continued, "I stop pulling that whole get some get gone bullshit and quit looking for one night stands when I found the one person I couldn't stand to be one night without, but apparently she is too full of herself to notice when someone is actually trying to change things about themselves to be with her." Faith told her as she turned away from Buffy, unable to look at her just now, but then something occurred to her and she turned back around. "And just so you know? You were the one who left me in the hotel and ran out after we fucked! So it looks like it makes you the get some get some girl in this one." Faith sneered as she stepped into Buffy's personal space to gaze into her eyes.

Buffy actually had the decency to look ashamed and looked aside before she finally turned back to look into smoky brown eyes. "But I came back!" She defended and took a step forward.

"Yeah and so did I!" Faith retorted in an equally raised voice. "So give me a little bit of credit B, because I'm really trying here okay, but you're just finding every reason to bust my balls for something you did to me first," Faith explained while trying to calm down. She knew if she and Buffy got into another shouting match neither would hear anything the other had to say and it'd be last night all over again.

"Oh so you're going to pull that one on me, it's okay for you to do it because I did it to you first," Buffy huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Faith sighed heavily and took a step towards Buffy, bringing them face to face. Even though the blonde was proving difficult, as she figured she would, Faith wanted to roll her eyes at the 'holier than thou' stance Buffy had once again fallen into too and take her in her arms and kiss her for all she was worth, but she knew it would be a mistake and probably start another unnecessary argument.

"No Buffy that's not what I'm doing right now and despite the fact that all I really want to do is kiss you til you can't stand because the whole pissed off Buffy makes me really hot, I really just need you to work with me instead of making false accusations about my intentions once again." Faith smirked at the surprised expression her comment had caused. "So will you please just shut the hell up and listen to me for once?" Faith asked and took a few step backs to lean against the elevator wall. She needed to move herself out of the blonde's space, because even mad and being ridiculously hard to deal with, Faith knew she still wanted the tiny slayer and she'd already been warned against touching her. So she gave her as much distance the small space provided.

Caught off guard by the comment, and struggling with her own lusty feelings at being so close to the sexy slayer, Buffy couldn't decide if she was flattered, turned on a little bit or offended that Faith would even bring up such a thing at the moment. It was probably a little bit of all three but deciding against neither, she only stood there trying to look uncaring with her arms still folded while staring at the brunette. "Fine," she relented. "Talk."

Faith let out a relieved sigh, and pushed herself off the wall. She looked around the elevator, wondering just how much time she had before they had them moving again and the doors opened, possibly disrupting what she had to say.

Deciding not to dwell on that right now to just take advantage of the time she did have, suddenly the brunette became nervous. She wasn't used to putting her feelings on the line like she was about to do now and she began to pace the small distance of the elevator and she fiddled with her hands.

"It wasn't easy coming back here okay," Faith glanced over at the blonde to gauge her reaction and to see if she was paying attention.

Buffy's face remained stoic and her posture unconcerned as she still had her arms folded across her chest as she watched the pacing slayer. She could tell Faith was nervous, but deep down so was she and her heart was racing as she waited. For several long moments Faith was quiet as she walked back and forth across the small space. Buffy's patience was wearing thin as she continued to watch as Faith seemed to be building up her nerve. She wanted to reach out and grab her and shake the words out of her.

Just as she tension was becoming too great, the gears of the elevator groaned and it jerked to a start. Both girls groaned in disappointment as the elevator started its descent. Buffy looked at Faith and shrugged slightly, "Guess it just wasn't meant to be," she told her as she turned towards the doors.

Faith grimaced as she walked up behind Buffy, on instinct her hand rested on the blonde's slender hip making Buffy turn her head to look up at Faith. "Do you still have your keycard with you?"

"N...no," Buffy managed as she stared up into soulful brown eyes. "Why would I need it if I'm leaving?"

"We could've used the room to talk," Faith said with a shrug.

"Only talk?" Buffy couldn't help asking and then her eyes widening at how her comment could've been construed and back pedaled. "Be...cause that's what you said right? You only wanted to talk."

Faith chuckled, "Of course only to talk B. What? You don't trust yourself to be alone with me?" Faith whispered as she leaned in closer to Buffy's lips.

"We are alone," Buffy whispered back as she found herself drawn to the luscious full lips she could see moving closer to her own.

The ding of the elevator caused the girls to jump apart and look at the crowd of people that stood in front of them on the other side of the door. Before anyone could step inside of the elevator, Faith quickly raised an arm and hit the 'close door' button, causing some of the patrons who had started to move forward stop in their tracks.

"Sorry, it's still being worked on!" The brunette called out as the door closed and the sound of grumbling could be heard from the other side. Buffy watched with keen interest as Faith hit the penthouse floor and as the elevator began to ascend, the brunette hit the emergency stop again.

"Faith!" Buffy turned around to question what the other girl was doing.

"What! We weren't finished!" Faith said with a shrug.

"Faith look, we don't have to exactly talk in here okay. We can always go somewhere else, you know?" Buffy reasoned.

Faith shook her head adamantly, "Call it a feeling...but I think if we leave this elevator things will only get worse for us. At least this way," Faith motioned to the small space around them," neither of us has the chance to run."

Buffy opened her mouth to rebuke, but Faith held up her hand to stop her as the little amount of time she found herself having to do this gave her a smidgen of confidence that she needed to get started. She figured the rest would have to be found along the way.

Faith took in long deep breaths before letting it out and standing in front of Buffy. "Okay look, I just wanna start off by saying I'm sorry, and before you ask, yes I know why I'm saying it this time." Faith ran shaky fingers through her hair and scowled slightly at herself as she felt the little shred of confidence she'd built begin to waiver. However, she continued on. "Like I was saying before, it wasn't easy for me coming back here and it's not because I didn't want too, because I did. It wasn't like I felt obligated or anything, okay...I wanted too." Buffy only nodded while resisting the urge to laugh at Faith's cute, nervous display.

"It was hard coming back because I didn't really know what I'd be walking back into with you when I did, but it was a chance I was willing to take because I know what I did was wrong and I know I should've never left you. I just wasn't thinking clearly when I did so I'm sorry."

"Okay," the blonde agreed tersely, but in Buffy speech, Faith knew she was only agreeing to be a smartass and that she was still a little pissed about it.

"Um...ladies? Is everything okay in there," it was the elevator technician again.

Faith huffed as she stalked over to the panel on the wall and open the door that held the phone and jerked it open. "Hello?" She called down the receiver and got an answer from the guy whose voice had been interrupting them. "Look dude, there's nothing happening in the elevator okay? It's not broken, no one is hurt alright? All I'm doing is trying to talk to my wife and fix a few wrongs, so can you give me a break here? She's already hit me twice and...wait no, no, it's nothing like that, she's not abusing me," Faith smirked and looked over at the eye roll Buffy had given because of that.

"No, I swear everything is five by five...," it was Faith's turn to roll her eyes, "it means everything is okay in here," Faith corrected. "So can you do me a solid here and buy me a little time because there's something I really need to talk to her about okay?" Faith listened to the man rationalize why they couldn't stay in there long.

"Can't you tell them to take the stairs or the other elevator because this one is off limits right now? Put up some fucking signs or something, I don't care just will you please let me do this?" Faith's face lit up, "Wicked! Yeah, yeah I'll call you and let you know when it's okay to start it back up. Thanks dude, I don't know who you are, but I definitely owe you one." Faith told the guy and hung up the phone.

She turned back to Buffy with a grin to find the beautiful blonde regarding her with her adorable half-smile. "Is there ever anything you want that you can't talk your way into getting?"

"Well I'm hoping to find that out soon," Faith responded as she kept her eyes locked with Buffy's. "Okay...back to what I was saying," Faith said, wanting to get back to the part where she was attempting to win the woman of her dreams back. "When I woke up and saw you there I really didn't know what to think...," Faith's started, but soon she was interrupted. She knew it was only a matter of seconds before she was.

"You didn't know what to think? Jeez Faith are you that dense that you don't know what to do when you wake up and find a pretty girl in your bed?" Faith couldn't help the smirk that broke out on her face from that but thought better of making a joke of it and just listened as Buffy continued to rant. "Because did it ever occur to you that I came back because I wanted to be there? I mean I came back Faith! Shouldn't that have meant something to you? That I came back to be with you?" Buffy questioned.

Faith frowned at making the wrong choice, or not even giving herself a choice and just running instead. "If I was actually thinking anything remotely close to that, do you think I would've left? Buffy nothing really occurred to me." Faith threw up a hand in frustration then let it drop to her side. "I was confused, I was drunk and all the shit you'd said to me was still running through my head. You pretty much told me you didn't want me and that we probably could never be friends again after what happened. And...and that really fucked with my head, ya know?" Faith said with a pained look as she scratched at the tattoo on her arm and looked away. "So I don't know," the brunette shrugged, "I guess when I saw you there, I was just trying to give you what you wanted and that was me out of your life."

"So instead of thinking that I was back because I actually gave a damn, you made the choice to leave. You made the choice to get up and leave me in a honeymoon suite after the night we shared together to go to L.A. to get our marriage annulled by my ex because it seemed like the right thing to do?"

Faith seemed to be thinking over what Buffy had said. "Okay, so now that you put it like that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But like I said Buffy, I wasn't thinking clearly. Besides, you were the one who said you were gonna call Angel, I just assumed that you had since he's always been your go to guy," Faith defended.

"Yeah, I know I said I would call Angel but I never really intended too, it's none of his business and I really didn't want to involve him. But in case you haven't noticed Faith, or it may just be that you don't even care enough to notice but you've become my go to person. It's you that I count on now for everything, not Angel and I was hoping you'd be with me on this too. We could've handled this on our own like we were supposed to this morning before I woke up and found you gone!" Buffy yelled, getting angry all over again at the situation.

"And I'm right here Buffy...saying I'm sorry for walking out on you. I screwed up! I know that, but...but fuck...I'm sorry!" Faith yelled also getting angry again, but this time with herself.

"It's not about that anymore Faith, because yeah, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have jump to any conclusions about what happened and I should've been patient enough to listen to you last night. I know how things get between us and I know that when we're both upset and yelling at one another, nothing gets resolved. But after I left and had time to think and to calm down, it stopped being about that fact that you knew we had gotten married and didn't tell me."

"Buffy I...," Faith started and bristled when Buffy held up her hand to stop her.

"I was over that Faith, even though I still have no clue why you would do something like that. I came back and was willing to listen to whatever it was you wanted to say and understand it all. But then I get there and you're passed out, but I couldn't even be mad at that because I still had you there with me," Buffy was yelling now and as she spoke she advanced on Faith walking her back against the elevator wall again.

"But the fact that I had to wake to a phone call telling me that you were gone was like a slap in the face to me, Faith. You humiliated me! You called my watcher and my ex to tell leaving them to tell me that that you had left me!"

"It wasn't like that Buffy!" Faith yelled, "I was doing what I thought was right!"

"Well I don't care if you thought it was right or not," Buffy retorted hotly, "It made me feel like a fool and it hurt. It hurt that you didn't give me the chance to tell you how sorry I was and ask that you forgive me for all the horrible things I said to you, but...but above it all...I...I felt abandoned, Faith! You left me!" Buffy cried out, tears visibly streaming down her reddened face as she shook with anger.

Faith made a move towards her with her arms ready to receive the distraught slayer, but Buffy extended her arm and pressed a hand against Faith's chest warding her away from her. Faith's heart broke as she watched the woman she loved break down in front of her and to have her not want her to touch her, to hold her and assure her that she would make everything okay. "Buffy, please...just let me," Faith pleaded as she made another attempt to reach out to the sobbing girl.

Buffy shook her head and roughly wiped at her face, "No Faith, I already told you that you don't get to touch me again. I meant it; you lost that privilege when you walked out on me. And I get that I walked away from you first, I know that and now I can only imagine what it was that you felt when I did and I'm sorry I did that to you. But you have to know that it was because I was so angry with you. I rushed to a decision and I was so mad at you because you...because you made me feel," Buffy stumbled around for the right words as she wiped furiously at her face as fresh tears sprang to her eyes.

"God Faith, you just made me feel period. I felt good; I felt safe and...and...wanted. And then when I knew that you remembered and didn't tell me then you walked out on me, it's like you took that all away and then all I felt was used!" Buffy cried again as she brought her hands up to cover her face.

"Fuck Buffy, I never meant for you to feel that way. I would never do that to you had I known it's what I was doing and I'm sorry that I made you feel that way." Faith pleaded with her as she stood as close to Buffy as she could without touching her. "Buffy please, you have to believe me...I never meant to hurt you, I swear." Faith could feel her own tears beginning to fall now and she swiped roughly at her face.

Buffy took a steadying breath and pressed her hands into her face in an effort to calm herself. She thought it would make her feel better to yell at Faith and make her feel bad about her actions, but when it did nothing but make her feel worse she knew hurting the brunette wasn't something she wanted to do. When she felt that she could look up and into the eyes of the woman she loved and not break down again she took another breath and moved her hands. "I know, Faith," she said with a shaky sigh, "I know you're sorry or I don't think you'd be here if you weren't." Buffy's voice was trembling as she willed herself not to start crying again. "And I know you would never hurt me on purpose, I just didn't at the time and I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain that. I'm sorry for all of the things I said...all of them, none of it was true, I was just angry."

"I know," Faith said softly and with all threats cast aside, she couldn't help herself as she leaned in against Buffy and loosely wrapped an arm over her waist pulling her closer and bringing their foreheads together. "Don't hit me," Faith whispered as her grip tightened on the small waist.

Buffy half sobbed and half chuckled. "I'm not," Buffy told her as she pulled back and laid a hand softly against Faith's bruised cheek, "and I'm sorry that I did before."

"I'm sorry that you did too," Faith replied with a wince when Buffy's hand touched her face. Then she grinned playfully, hoping to lighten the heavy mood if only a little.

Neither girl spoke as they stood there in each other's embrace, gazing into the other's eyes, while Buffy stroked Faith's cheek softly. Faith licked her lips and leaned forward in an effort to kiss the blonde, but Buffy's other hand pressed against her shoulder to push her away as she pulled out of the embrace.

"I'm sorry, I...I can't do this...at least not...now," Buffy sighed and stood to the side and uneasily dropped her hands to her side and wiped them against her jeans in an effort to find something to do with them. She hoped that Faith didn't feel rejected by her, but she knew it was effortless for her to hope such a thing, because Faith was watching her with keen interest and a frown plastered on her face.

Buffy was glad that Faith had come back and apologized for leaving. It had eased her mind a little that their night together did mean something other than Faith trying to sleep with her because she could. They had said their apologies and it did make her feel a little better, but she had to admit that she was still sad about the whole situation.

She still didn't know where she stood with the brunette slayer and above all else, she didn't know how what had happened would affect their friendship in the future. Buffy did know however, that she was tired, not physically tired, but emotionally drained. She'd cried enough in the past couple of days and minutes to last her a lifetime, so she knew any further conversations her and Faith needed to have would have to wait until later.

"Look Faith, why don't we just get out of here and we can talk more later okay? Giles is expecting us...or at least he's expecting me. But I guess we should go and take care of this annulment thing first," Buffy proposed as she took another step backwards.

Faith's frown deepened as she watched Buffy. "I'm sure it'll probably be a quicker process since we have a law firm doing all the work instead of a disgruntle office wench who probably hates her job and will let it sit there until she decides to send it through." Buffy attempted to laugh, but it came out nervous and forced. "We can just get the jet to detour to L.A. and I'll sign."

Buffy took in the look Faith was given her, it was one that was hard for the blonde slayer to decipher. She realized that she'd said a lot of 'we' when she talked about going to L.A. and then back home to Cleveland. The fear that she'd felt when she'd initially learned that the former rogue slayer was leaving for whatever period of time she'd be gone was back again and settling disturbingly in the pit of her stomach.

"Or...or I can just go to L.A. and sign and back to Cleveland and you can continue on with your plans to do whatever it was you were before you came back here." Buffy looked aside, not daring to look at Faith knowing that she if she told her she was leaving again would only cause her to start crying again.

"I'm not leaving," Faith croaked out, her voice laced with emotions as her gaze lingered on Buffy.

Buffy's eyes jerked up briefly to meet Faith's dark ones and the grave feeling in her stomach manifested into butterflies fluttering around at the news that Faith wasn't leaving. The feeling was short lived though, because Buffy still had no idea what Faith's intentions were.

"You...you aren't?" Buffy asked unsure she'd heard Faith correctly. "So uh...well, where are you going?" She couldn't help but ask when she saw Faith shake her head in the negative.

"Home...with you." Faith didn't hesitate to answer.

Buffy's eyes widened and her mouth gaped as she searched for words to say. "Faith, you don't have too...," but now it was Faith's turned to quiet the other girl and held a hand up to stop her from saying anything.

Faith eyes were intense as she closed the small distance between her and Buffy and brought her hands up to cup the gorgeous face of the woman she had left behind. "You asked why I chose to come to Cleveland when I could've gone anywhere in the world, and you were right, I had my freedom, I wasn't a wanted felon anymore. I had my life back and I could've gone anywhere and chose my own path of redemption. But when I thought about it...and believe me I really thought hard on it, where was I gonna go Buffy?" Faith asked as she shrugged as if she was asking the question to herself as well.

"Where else would I have chosen to go when I knew my salvation was right here with you," Faith finished the statement by dropping one of her hands and placing it over Buffy's heart. She closed her eyes at the rapid, strong beating that she could feel under her palm and felt as her own heart captured the rhythm and began beating in time with Buffy's.

Faith opened her eyes to find stunned green orbs watching her. "I always come back to you Buffy, good or bad...it always leads me back to you," she whispered and gazed into Buffy's eyes. "Whether we end up fighting, or just colleagues putting up with working with each other...whatever it was, I stopped questioning why a long time ago when we decided to forgive our past and just put it all behind us. I just knew whatever it was between us, no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't just fade away."

Faith's hand dropped to her side and she reached out and took one of Buffy's hands in hers while her thumb softly brushed against the cheek she still held. "When I decided to just let go of all my doubts and allowed myself to just to be with you...not only did I find out what it was like to have a real chance at a family, a real chance to do good and be a part of something that mattered in the world...I also found what it felt like to fall in love."

Buffy had been holding her breath the entire time Faith had been talking and as she said the last part, her lips fell apart and she took in a sharp intake of air as she remembered how to breathe. Her eyes clouded over with more tears and she squeezed Faith's hand in hers. When she saw the blurry figure in front of her bring a hand up and felt a warm hand on her cheek she closed her eyes and the tears that had been steadfast began to fall.

"Even though it's probably questionable at times, I'm not that psychotic little fuck up I use to be. And even though I know I screwed up, I'm here to fix it...to fix us. Last night was wicked hot and definitely not an exaggeration from how I thought it'd be in my mind."

Buffy eyes popped open at this and she tilted her head to the side questioningly, "You've pictured us being together...intimately?"

Faith scoffed and raised a questioning brow, "And you haven't?"

Buffy opened her mouth to rebuke the fact that she had, but knowing it'd be a lie she only gaped dumbfound as she watched the amused look on the brunette's Faith then looked away shyly and smiled as she brought a hand up to wipe at her eyes.

"That's what I thought," Faith responded with a smirk. "So if you're thinking for one minute that I can just give you up now you're out of your fucking mind. After last night there's no way I can go back to being just friends with you or not having you in my life at all." Faith wrapped her arms around Buffy's waist and drew her near and Buffy couldn't help but follow as their faces became inches away from each other. "So I'm going back home with you and I'm sorry I made you doubt that I wouldn't."

"O...okay," was all Buffy could manage as she stared in amazement at what Faith was saying to her.

"I'm not good with this mushy stuff or the big speeches like you are," Faith started her other hand coming down to take Buffy's.

"You're doing a pretty good job so far," Buffy encourage as a genuine smile broke out on her face.

"Yeah?" Faith asked as she returned the smile and watched as Buffy nodded. "Well that's still your job, so don't expect me to get all motivational before we go out on patrol with the juniors or anything," Faith warned.

"Got it."

"And this face is way too pretty to get that weird looking resolve thing Red does," Faith continued, "so can we just pretend that I'm in resolve mode and what I'm about to say will be as equally engaging and seriously boring and as those long winded speeches you give," Buffy's look turned slightly to a glare at the comment, but she couldn't help the little smile that curled at her lips as she continued to listen, "because I want you to know that I'm serious as hell when I say that when we go back to Cleveland I hope that it's together...as in together together because I wanna be with you Buffy. Like for real be with you. I want the whole handing holding, dating and kissing in public and getting to have hot sweaty slayer sex at the end of the night instead of having to go to bed frustrated and horny as hell."

Buffy could only laugh through her tears and she couldn't help it any longer, she threw her arms around Faith's neck and embraced her. She pulled back and just as she was about to bring their lips together a series of mumbling could be heard while a distance 'get a room' made both girls look out to the small crowd that was in front of the opened elevator doors.

Buffy hide her face shyly into Faith's shoulders while the brunette scowled at the onlookers and as a few moved to enter inside of the elevator she quickly moved out of Buffy's arms and stood in front of the door. "This one is still being worked on," she told them as she hit the elevator close door button.

Faith turned back around and pulled Buffy to her ready to start back where they'd left off before they were interrupted but Buffy pulled back and out of her arms.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said shyly as she pulled away and out of Faith's arms again and looked up at her through her lashes. "We probably shouldn't do this right now...the whole kissing thing."

"Why not? That bought us probably another five minutes."

Buffy only chuckled softly but refused to give in. "Because even though everything you're saying...god Faith it...it all sounds so pretty and so not like something I would expect from you..b...but not in a bad way though and if you would've said it all a month ago, six months ago...hell a day ago I wouldn't have hesitated to jump into your arms and never let go."

"So why can't you do that...what's changed now?" Faith asked confused as her heart began to do that fucked up thing when she knew Buffy was about to tell her something she knew she wasn't going to like that sounded a hellavu lot like rejection and probably would end up hurting her feelings and breaking her heart again.

"Nothing...and...and everything has changed Faith. You're being all sweet and saying all of the right things that it would take to make me want to be swept up in your arms and lose myself in you again."

Faith gave Buffy a questioning a look, "Um...that doesn't necessarily sound like a bad thing B."

"It's not," Buffy shook her head, "at least not until you get that feeling that you need to take off and I have to wake up to find you gone again and feel like my whole world is falling apart because you thought it was the right thing to do," Buffy explained.

Faith looked confused and she felt vulnerable as she shook her head not understanding what Buffy was trying to say. She knew she wasn't an expert in this relationship stuff, but she was sure that if she laid her heart on the line and told Buffy how she felt everything would be okay, but as she could see now and as she could feel in her heart, she was wrong. "I know what I did was wrong Buffy. I truly know that now so tell me what it is and I promise I'll do whatever you need to make it right."

Buffy smiled at how devoted Faith was to trying to make things okay, but she also knew that it was a big problem for them too. She cupped Faith's face in her hands and softly caressed her face as she spoke. "That's just it sweetheart, it's not just up to you to make this right. We're in this together and if there's a problem I need to know that we're able to make a decision together and not have it just be you making the decision for us and going off all halfcocked and do something that could be bad for both of us. How do I know you won't just up and run again when we argue or disagree?"

Faith grabbed Buffy's hands and held them in her own. "Because right now, if you can tell me that you feel the same way and want to be with me just as much as I want you then there's nothing in this world that could make me walk out on you again."

She wanted to believe Faith, she wanted to jump into her arms and tell her that she would be hers but she still had her doubts. "Don't get mad okay," Buffy started and it caused Faith to narrow her eyes at the blonde because she knew that normally when Buffy started off a sentence that way, she usually got mad, "And don't think that this is me saying no to you, because I do want to be with you, more than anything. I'm just scared Faith. We aren't the best when it comes to communicating and that's been the problem this whole weekend and has caused a lot of badness between us, I think that's the one thing we can actually agree on here."

"I don't know B, there was a lot of good going on this weekend too," Faith emphasized with a wiggle of her brow and a smirk.

Buffy couldn't help the blush that crept up over her face and colored her neck, "Yes, there were definitely some parts that were of the good." Buffy cleared her throat as she tried to ward away said good thoughts as the night in question sprung to her mind and turned serious again. "But do you understand what it is I'm trying to say?"

"Honestly?" Faith asked rhetorically, "I have no fucking clue what you're on about right now B, but then again that's the story of my life when it comes to you. Normally when you're rambling I just throw a little wink your way while nodding and hope I get it right. Most of the time it seems to make you happy but I'm not sure if it'll work right now."

Buffy slapped Faith's arm, "Don't make fun of me," she pouted, making the corners of Faith's mouth turn in a slight grin.

"I wondered when you'd pull out the big guns on me," Faith teased as her eyes darted to the adorable pout Buffy donned before capturing Buffy's chin between her thumb and forefinger and tilting her head up so she could look at her. "But I do get that you doubt me and whether or not I'm in it for the long haul, and I can't be mad about that, I only have myself to blame."

Faith knew Buffy had every right to question her about being a flight risk and she knew she would have to address it at some point. The whole relationship thing scared her and it's why she never attempted it before. The fact that someone else would be involved in her life on a daily basis and would depend on her emotionally and expect her to be honest at all times and trust that she would be faithful to them and only them, was something she had never wanted to deal with.

It was just too much trouble and too many rules to abide by and keep up with. But she'd already realized that all those things were something that she had already given to Buffy a long time ago so it wasn't a matter of if she could or wanted to do it, it was just a matter of making it official and getting Buffy to understand that she was in it for the long haul and that she was already ready.

Faith pulled out of Buffy's embrace and stood back and regarded the blonde slayer for a long moment. The intensity of Faith's gaze made Buffy feel a little uncomfortable, especially seeing as she wasn't saying anything but only standing there and staring.

"What?" Buffy finally asked in annoyance.

"I love you Buffy," was all Faith said as she continued to watch the blonde.

Buffy gaped at Faith in amazement at what she'd just heard, hoping like hell she wasn't just hearing things. "Y...you...," Buffy struggled with her words.

"Yeah," Faith grinned at the bewildered reaction, "I love you B and I'm sorry I haven't said it sooner, and I'm not just talking about last night either, I'm talking about when I first knew that I did."

"When...when did you first know?" Buffy found her voice to ask.

Faith shrugged, "Can't really pinpoint a time or day or anything like that, but I just know when I found myself not wanting to be without you for one second of the day, that's when I knew."

Buffy smiled, because she too knew that feeling and it was how she knew that she'd fallen for her one time nemesis as well even if she wasn't ready to admit it, especially to herself. So she just sat back and welcomed all the attention that Faith was willing to give her, which happened to be a lot and in hindsight, it all made sense to Buffy now. The friendship that they were forming also allowed them to see the other for who they really were, two hot chicks with super powers, neither good nor bad or right nor wrong.

They now shared a common goal which was to help the newly called slayers adjust, control and use their powers to fight the forces of evil and they found that they worked well together when they weren't taking shots at each other and working against one another. It was their fresh beginning and it allowed them to see past each other's past indiscretions and just live in the now, a place where they both fell in love with each other without even trying.

"And I just want you to know that you don't ever have to worry about waking up one day and not finding me there because I know what it feels like to have to leave you and it's something I never want to feel again." Faith squeezed Buffy's hands before letting go and taking another deep breath before continuing. "I, of all people know it's not easy to give up your heart, but if you do...I can promise you two things."

"Wh...what's that," Buffy's asked with her green eyes wide with childish wonder.

"Well one, I'll always look this good," Faith joked, after all it was part of her charm.

Buffy couldn't help the laughter that came out through her choked sob. "Okay, that's a given...what's the other?"

"Two? I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy and I swear I'll never break your heart." Faith answered sincerely.

Buffy smiled and sniffed, "Th...that was actually three."

Faith seemed to be thinking it over before she nodded seriously, "Okay so maybe it was...guess my math isn't so good so it looks like I'm gonna need the hotness to fall back on after all," she said with a dimpled grin.

While Faith had been talking, Buffy was so focused on her face and what she was saying, she didn't notice that Faith had reached down and pulled something out of her pocket and was now fiddling with it in her hands. Her eyes widened when she looked down and recognized exactly what it was.

Faith was nervous as hell but she couldn't help but smile at Buffy's reaction while she continued to turn the little black velvet box over in her hands.

Buffy's mouth fell open and then closed a few times before she finally looked back up to Faith with tear filled eyes. "Faith?" Buffy's voice was shaky as she held in the urge to cry.

"You wanna know why I let us get married?" Faith asked and upon Buffy's silent nod, Faith explained. "Because you told me you loved me and wanted to spend the rest of your life with me." Faith continued to twist the box around in her hands nervously and the movement caused Buffy to become mobile instead of the constant gaping she'd found herself doing. She brought her own shaky hands up to place over the nervous slayers and looked back up to her, urging her to continue.

"I never saw myself settling down with just one person and I definitely never saw myself as the marrying type. The two story house with the white picket fence and 2.5 rug rats just wasn't my thing, ya know?" Faith explained. "But in that moment, when you said that that you loved me...I realized that all those girly fantasies about having all that suddenly didn't seem like a bad idea and I knew there was only one person in the world I could ever see myself wanting all that with... and it's you." Buffy brought a hand up to place on Faith's cheek as tears began to well up in her eyes and spill over.

Faith smiled sweetly at the sobbing slayer and brought hand up to wipe the tears away from Buffy's face before cupping her face. "I've known for a long time now that I've been in love with you, but I never imagined that you could feel the same way, so when you said you wanted to be with me forever, I didn't care that it was the alcohol talking because I pretended that you really meant what you were saying, because even if it was for a little while, I got to know what it was like for you to be mine."

Tears were steadily streaming down Buffy's face now, and she brought her hands and swiftly wiped at her face, "It was true, you didn't have to pretend" she said in between wipes, trying her best to dry her moistened face but failing miserably as the tears kept flowing, "and I guess it was the alcohol that gave me the courage to finally tell you, and now I feel even stupider for over reacting like I did because I...I do...I do love you." Buffy leaned in and placed a lingering kiss on Faith's lips, her eyes closed at the feeling of having finally told the brunette how she felt. It felt so good to say that she had to tell her again. "I love you Faith." She whispered against the soft lips before she pulled back.

Faith smiled a dimpled grin that never failed to make Buffy swoon and as if on cue, Buffy brought her hands up to place on Faith's cheeks where the enticements were. "Good to know," Faith nodded, knowing that if Buffy was in love with her too it'd make what she was about to do much easier, or...it could make it more difficult if the outcome wasn't favorable, after all Buffy did have some doubts about her. Faith frowned at the thought then looked to Buffy then down at the box in her hand knowing that it was too late to change her mind now. With another deep breath, Faith took in all the oxygen her lungs could handle as she felt her legs about to give way under her and the butterflies swarming around in her stomach as her nervousness went into overdrive. It was now or never.

"I can't stand here and tell you I'll be great at this relationship stuff, but I can promise that if you give me the chance I know I'll get better. And I know I drive you crazy most of the time and I know there are some things we need to work on, but what couple doesn't?" Faith asked with nervous laughter. "But whatever it is, I'm more than willing to give it 110% because I don't doubt that we can make this work Buffy, we're the Chosen Two...there's nothing we can't do as long as we're together," Faith said as she held up the little black box with her hand poised to open it.

Buffy's breath hitched in her throat as she looked into Faith's eyes. When Faith's hand began to move and she heard the squeaking noise of the box being pulled opened, Buffy looked down again and watched as Faith pulled the lid open on the box. A deep frown crossed her features when she saw that what Faith held in her hands, was an empty ring box. Her head jerked up and her confused eyes sought out dark brown ones as she opened her mouth to ask the brunette about the empty box.

"Faith where's...,"

Buffy's question on where the ring was cut off as Faith brought her head down to finally bring their lips together in a much needed, passionate kiss. It was full of promise and love, something Faith had never dared offer until now. She wanted Buffy to know that she was the one and she would spend the rest of her life proving it to her. The need to feel Buffy everywhere overwhelmed Faith and she slid her arm around the slender waist and pulled her closer.

The blonde immediately responded and wrapped her arms around Faith's neck as one of her hands dove into her dark locks. The kiss was wanton and desperate as if each girl was afraid that the other would let go too soon. In the frenzy, Buffy brought her hands down to cup Faith face and her tongue swept across Faiths' full bottom lip, making its way inside.

Before she would allow Buffy to deepen the kiss, Faith pulled back, leaving a breathless and stunned Buffy in her wake. "Hold on B...," Faith panted just as breathless as she took a few steps away from Buffy before trying to catch her breath and steel herself for what she was about to do. Sweeping her hair to one side she reached around and unhooked the chain that was around her neck.

Buffy only looked on in confusion as she watched the brunette pull the chain from around her neck and slip it from underneath her shirt where the contents that were settled on it were hidden. Buffy's already parted lips let out a slight gasp as she took in the sight of the two rings that sat dangling from the end of the chain next to the diamond cross that Faith always wore. She watched as a shaky hand settled the chain in the palm of the other and pulled the diamond ring off of it and stuffed the chain with the band still on it in a pocket.

Faith closed her fist around the ring and looked down into Buffy's eyes, "The annulment is still in L.A. waiting for your signature and then this will all be over if that's what you still want. But I'd like to give you another option...a real chance to make a choice that's your own this time around."

Faith held the ring up between her thumb and forefinger for Buffy to see before she dropped to one knee and took Buffy's left hand in hers and then gazed up at her, "I never should've taken this from you. It was an asshole move, I know that now and I'm sorry that I did." She swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady and hold back her own tears as they threaten to make her a blubbering mess, something she was sure would mess up her already tarnished badass image.

"I love you Buffy Anne Lehane, and if you decide to let me give this back to you, I swear you'll never have to take it off again because I promise I'll love, honor and cherish you for the rest of my life." Faith smoothly rubbed her thumb across the back of Buffy's hand and let the ring hover at her ring finger. There was a silence as both slayers gazed questioningly into each other's tearful eyes. "So whatdaya say Princess?" Faith rasped, her voice filled with emotion and hoping like hell Buffy didn't turn her down. "Will you stay married to me?"


	19. Chapter 18

**AN: So this little story of mine is wrapping up and I can't really say anything about my abscene other than the usual suspect excuses...so I'll spare everyone the details and let you get on with the reading! **

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**Chapter 18 **

Faith's heart was racing and she felt frozen in time as she waited for what seemed like an eternity while she watched Buffy, who at the moment was gazing back at her with wide green eyes. Her hands were covering her mouth and stray tears were running down her face, clearly the other slayer was still in shock from the heartfelt proposal.

This did nothing to help calm Faith's nerves though seeing as she still hadn't received an answer. She felt a tremendous wave of fear and begin to overtake her as her heart pounded so hard and fast that it seemed as if it was trying to make its way out of her chest. The feeling had become so intense that it made her nausea, she felt like she couldn't breathe and like she was choking. Faith knew she was on the verge of having a full blown panic attack if one of them didn't do or say something.

"Uh...B, you're gonna have to give me something here," Faith whispered hoarsely, her eyes shining with unshed tears as she peered up at the still silent woman in front of her. "The elevator floor is killing my knee and we kinda got an audience." Faith croaked out as her eyes briefly darted from the motionless slayer to the scene behind.

There stood about a dozen people that had been waiting for the elevator but when it opened, had found the two women locked in the age-old premarital ritual. The two slayers had been so preoccupied with each other they hadn't realized that the elevator had started moving again and that the door had opened and that they now had an audience. Some people looked impatient, while others looked on expectantly as they too waited for blonde's answer.

This seemed to break Buffy out of her stupor and she blinked rapidly before she quickly dropped to her knees in front of Faith and wordlessly wrapped her arms around her neck in a tight embrace. Faith could only return the embrace as she hesitantly enveloped Buffy's small frame with her own and closed her eyes.

"She said yes!" Was the premature bellow from the crowd, causing a series of clapping and cheering.

Faith opened her eyes immediately and looked out at the crowd in confusion. She watched the exhilarated group standing in the doorway and wondered if the loud and vigorous pounding of her heart had actually caused her to possibly miss the point where Buffy had actually given an answer.

Faith pulled back slightly to look at the woman in her arms. "You said yes?" Faith asked in a small voice that she didn't even recognize as her own.

Buffy looked startled by the question, and her mouth gaped a few times before she finally found her voice and shook her head in the negative, "I...I didn't say anything. Well not until just now, but uh...no, not before," The still stunned blonde responsed.

"O...kay," the brunette began slowly, as she gazed into wide, fearful green orbs. A fresh wave of nausea and panic washed over her as the full scope of what was happening finally hit her. "If you didn't say yes...," Faith paused for a moment as she continued to stare at Buffy and realized the implication of her not having said yes. Her jawline clenched and unclenched as she felt the pain of every single tear in her heart as it shattered to pieces, "Does that means you're saying no?" It came out as a question but Faith already knew the answer, the look on Buffy's face said it all.

"You're saying no," Faith whispered more conclusively and she finally released her hold on the blonde and moved her leg so that she was on both knees now and sat back on her haunches. She closed a tight fist around the ring that was still in her hand and stared stoically at the woman she had just poured her out too only to have it crushed.

The blonde sat back and mirrored Faith's sitting position as she laid her hands in her lap and looked down at them as if they held the answer for her. Her mind was telling her that rationally, she knew she couldn't just say yes, but her heart was screaming at her that she couldn't say no either.

It wasn't until Faith moved with slayer speed and pulled herself up from the floor and made a move for the door that Buffy was compelled to do something.

"Faith wait!" She yelled and raised a hand and placed it on the shoulder of the retreating slayer and stopping her from going anywhere. "This isn't what you're thinking!" Buffy said in way of an explanation.

Faith stopped and looked at the blonde as if she'd grown two heads, "It's not?" Faith asked incredulously. "Well do you care to explain it then?"

"I do," Buffy answered as she stood and look at the crowd that was still gazing at them from the doorway. She turned back to look at Faith, "But can we please not do this here?"

Faith laughed humorlessly as she briefly looked back to the crowd then back at Buffy, "They just watched me make a fool of myself, I don't think it matters if you humiliate me some more."

"That's not what I'm doing...at least not on purpose. Just let me explain okay?" Buffy pleaded but Faith just stared blankly and made no motion to move again which Buffy took as a sign that she was at least going to listen to her. "But really Faith, can we please not do this here?" She asked again. Buffy wasn't sure how much of what her and Faith had said to each other was overheard by the crowd, but she knew that she didn't want to continue to put her love life on display in front of strangers.

"Yeah sure, whatever B," Faith replied indifferently as she shrugged Buffy's hand off her shoulder and was allowed to stand this time. "You can say whatever you need to say on our way to L.A."

"No!" Buffy yelled as she now quickly stood to stand in front of the now masked slayer.

"She took it back...she just said no!" Came another yell from the crowd then a series of mumbling could be heard afterwards.

"Will you shut the fuck up already?!" Faith turned to yell at the unsuspecting crowd standing in the doorway. A series of gasps echoed from the group which caused Faith to scowl menacingly as she turned back to face the blonde.

Buffy was staring at her with a look she couldn't decipher and suddenly the elevator felt as if it was closing in on her, it felt stifling and she needed to get out of it and as far away as possible from Buffy as she could. "I'm outta here," She mumbled as she shoved the ring that was still trapped in her hand in her front pocket and turned to make her way over to the doorway to push through the crowd with a disheveled Buffy hot on her heels.

"Faith, please...will you just wait!" Buffy yelled at the once again retreating slayer and took off after her. "We're supposed to be going back to Cleveland...not L.A.!"

"That was before you just had me make an ass out of myself!" Faith yelled and threw her hands in the air out of frustration as she turned around.

"I did no such thing! You haven't even let me explain yet!" Buffy yelled back in an equally frustrated tone.

"Which part do you need to explain B? The 'n' or the 'o', I'm not a fucking genius, but it doesn't take a rocket science to figure that one out." Faith yelled, becoming angrier the more she thought about the whole situation. She had finally found the courage to tell Buffy how she felt about her and everything seemed like it was going well and she would finally be able to be with the women she wanted..._really_ get to be with her without the pretense of being '_just friends'_ masking their desire for one another.

Now she didn't know what to think. The previous night Buffy had explained that she would've at least like to have been given an option on the whole marriage deal, but now that Faith had given her one Buffy had stood there and remained silent. To Faith, it was clearly a sign of uncertainty on whether or not Buffy had really wanted to be with her, which to Faith, it ultimately meant no and that she didn't.

Even with Buffy admitting that she loved her wasn't enough for the brunette. It obviously wasn't the all-consuming, everlasting true love that she had for the blonde and she'd clearly misunderstood Buffy's confession for more than what it was intended for. With a dishearten shake of her head, Faith slowly turned and once again began to walk away.

"I didn't say no!" Buffy yelled at Faith's back.

This caused the brunette to stop once again, but she didn't turn to face the other slayer. "Then just what _are_ you saying Buffy?" Faith shook slightly with anger, with a hurt so deep that it made her afraid to turn and face Buffy once again knowing that if she did, she'd probably break down and start sobbing in the middle of the hotel lobby.

Buffy sighed, grateful that the brunette had halted in her retreat, but she still didn't know how she would approach the hostile slayer. She knew that she had to approach Faith carefully and word what she wanted to say just right because if she didn't, Faith would run again, and that was the last thing that Buffy wanted.

"We don't need to go to L.A. for anything," the blonde replied and gently laid a hand on Faith's shoulder and moved closer.

"Why not? You didn't say yes so isn't that what you want? To put this whole mess behind you," Faith responded bitterly and shrugged away from the touch with her back still to the blonde slayer.

Buffy sighed and dropped her hands to her side, "I think we both know there's no putting what happened last night behind us. Not...not that I would want to anyway, last night was...it was...it was definitely of the good," she said.

Faith scoffed and finally turned to face Buffy at the use of the modest statement to describe their night together. "Of the good?" Faith repeated mockingly with a raised brow.

"Well it was more than that, it was...," Buffy trailed off and looked away as she scrambled for the right words to describe the amazing night they'd had. Finally looking back into amused brown eyes Buffy continued. "It was a whole lot of something that I can't describe or even say right now if I could describe it because it would definitely cause a lot of babbling and possibly blushing...yes, definitely blushing, because yeah," Buffy pointed to her face in way of an explanation, "already feeling the flush."

"Oh for fucks sakes Buffy, just say it already...last night was wicked hot," Faith exclaimed. "And I don't know about you, but it was the hottest sex I've ever had, and that's saying something."

Buffy frowned slightly at the implication of the latter statement, but she knew that in Faith speech, it was considered a compliment. "Okay so that's more along the lines of what I was thinking, but with a lot less of the comparing" she explained.

"But that's not enough, is it?" Faith asked dejectedly.

Buffy's face grew serious at the question and she stepped closer, "Faith," she started and brought her hands up slowly to cup the brooding slayer's beautiful but sad face. When Faith didn't turn away from or shrug her off this time, Buffy was encouraged to continue, "It was more than I ever imagined it would be and for the record, I'd like to keep doing it."

Faith snorted and then chuckled humorously. "You wanna fuck me but you don't wanna marry me. Figures."

"We _are_ married Faith," the blonde clarified.

"And that can be easily fixed because all it's gonna take is for you to go to L.A. and sign on the dotted line, Princess. I'm sure your evil law firm owning souled do-boy will have this taken care of before the ink dries."

"Angel isn't _my_ anything Faith; you are! And it's why I won't be going anywhere and signing anything right now," Buffy huffed as she dropped her hands to take a few steps back and brought a frustrated hand up to rub roughly at her brow as she watched the scowling slayer. She didn't understand how Faith went from one extreme to the next. Only a short moment ago, the brunette had gotten down on one knee and said the most wonderful, sweetest things and offered her a world full of love and devotion only to let her anger take over and turn her into the insecure, doubtful person Buffy was dealing with now.

"So if it makes you feel better to keep the documents that _you _went to Angel to have drawn up in existence with _your_ signature on it, then fine keep it, I don't care...so long as I never have to look at them or ever hear about them, but I'm not going to L.A. and annulling this marriage Faith. Story. End of." Buffy stated with an air of finality as she crossed her arms over her chest, adopting her infamous slayer in charge stance.

Faith was quiet for several seconds as she just stood staring into defiant green eyes. Her first instinct was to wrap her arms around the fuming blonde and tell her how she looked both sexy and insanely adorable when she was mad and then kiss her with for all she was worth. However, she knew she had to rein it in seeing as she'd already made a fool of herself more than she cared to admit for the day and because she just didn't go around saying things like 'adorable' out loud and in front of other people. Plus, and probably the most important fact she could think of at the moment was that she was confused.

"Why not?" Faith finally asked with a small frown. She was a little taken aback that Buffy was so damn adamant about not going to L.A. especially after she had just rejected her marriage proposal. Then something Buffy had said during the course of the conversation hit her, she wanted to keep doing _it_. Which to Faith, it meant that Buffy was now more accepting of their sexual attraction to each other and wanted to explore more of the joys of what she had to offer in the bedroom every now and again.

That, Faith could understand because the sex was hot, but it didn't mean she was happy about it. She knew there was no way she could carrying on a strictly sexual relationship with her heart's desire and feel good about it no matter how good she knew it would be.

"Why not?" Buffy repeated the question as she stepped closer to the clueless slayer. "Because if we go to L.A. and annul our marriage, it's like saying that the things that happened between us doesn't exist and...and that they don't matter," she explained in frustration and hoping that she was making sense to the other slayer. "And is that what you really want Faith?"

"C'mon on B, it's your perfect get out of jail free card," Faith answered, treating the question as if it was a rhetorical one, because honestly, Buffy already knew what she wanted. If the proposal and her heartfelt confession in the elevator didn't make it clear then she would have to entertain the idea that Buffy really was a true blonde even though she knew better. "Besides," Faith continued and folded her arms across her chest smugly, "you know what they say B...what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

"Why are you doing this?" Buffy asked with a dejected tone and expression as disappointment laced her voice. "Are you not the same person who only minutes ago told me she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me?"

"Of course I am," Faith responded weakly, the look on Buffy's face making her immediately regret the comment. She dropped her defensive stance and shook her head in disgust at herself.

"Then why are you trying to push me away right now?"

Faith knew the answer to that without even having to think about it but thought better of it before putting her feelings on the line again. She was heartbroken, plain and simple, and that made it easier for her to rebuild the walls she'd cautiously let crumble when she and Buffy decided to put the past behind them and began building a friendship that quickly turned into something more for Faith.

"Look B," Faith began with a heavy sigh as she raised an arm and rubbed at the back of her neck, "what I did...it was impulsive...fuck, it was stupid even and I don't know what I was thinking when I did it. So can we just forget it happened and move on?"

"No Faith we can't! No matter how you want to downplay this right now, we can't just act like nothing happened between us. If we try to pretend that it didn't, it'll eat at us both and eventually drive us apart. Everything we've worked at since we moved to Cleveland will all have been for nothing because I know there would be no getting passed this for us. So no, we can't just move on, at least not in the way you're suggesting because I'm not letting go of you. So please Faith, let's just go home and figure this whole thing out together, because you were right," Buffy let the statement hang in the air and smiled adoringly at the confused expression Faith wore because of it.

The brunette's frown had deepened and her head was tilted to the side slightly as she wracked her brain to figure out what Buffy was referring to.

Deciding to take pity on the confused slayer, Buffy explained herself. "Hot sex and pretty words aren't enough. It's all or nothing now Faith and I for one would like to give my all where we're concerned and I hope you want that too."

Buffy watched as Faith seemingly processed what she'd just said, and despite their surroundings and the already sly looks they were getting, before the other slayer had a chance to do any type of protesting, Buffy pulled her into a passionate, needy kiss.

The action caught Faith off guard and naturally, her first instinct was to kiss Buffy back. Their mouths collided clumsily and their hands desperately sought out one another trying to find the right place to hold onto. In an effort to slow it down and get things under control, Faith's hands made their way to Buffy's face to cradle it between her palms and she pressed sweet open mouthed kisses against the addictive lips.

Faith pulled back slightly and ran her thumb over Buffy's pouting lips. As her eyes roamed over her lover's delicate features, Faith's mind was once again starting to betray her and it began to struggle with the turn of events. It was screaming at her that she was once again being set up for failure and demanded that she get as far away from the enticing figure as possible. Her heart, on the other hand, wouldn't allow her to move an inch.

So when Buffy's brilliant green eyes fluttered open and innocently stared deeply into her own, instead of fighting with making a decision and not caring that they were in the middle of a busy hotel lobby being watched, she did the only thing she could in that moment. She never took her eyes off of Buffy's as she slide her arms around the petite waist and pulled her closer and kissed her again with as much passion as she had been previously shown.

Her mind was reeling at the range of emotions that was hitting her all at once, but the only thing Faith allowed herself to feel was the woman she loved in her arms. All she could feel were Buffy's arms that had slid around her neck and the hand that was grasping the back of her head and tangling itself in her hair to keep her in place. A low groaned rumbled in her throat when she felt Buffy's warm tongue make its way inside of her mouth and wrap around her own. She made an attempt to pull Buffy impossibly closer when she felt the warm tongue slip in and out of her mouth and dance around her own.

Finally, Buffy pulled away with her arms still wrapped around Faith's neck and placed a soft kiss on her nose then against her mouth. "Last night wasn't enough because I want so much more from you," she whispered against Faith's full lips then pulled back to look into her expressive brown eyes. "I want all of you Faith."

Once again, a frown marred Faith's beautiful face, clearly indicating she wasn't fully understanding what Buffy was saying to her. At first she'd left her hanging with her proposal, and then she was saying that last night wasn't enough. Faith felt like she was being pulled into so many different directions that she didn't know which way to turn. What she did know was that she was sick of having her head fucked with and she needed the blonde to lay it all out for her once and for all. "I don't understand," Faith finally voiced her thoughts, hoping to get some clarification, "Was that not what I was offering when I asked you to stay married to me?"

"It was baby, and thank you for being brave enough to come back and put yourself and your feelings on the line for me like you did, it means everything which is why I can't just sign it all away when I know it means so much more," Buffy explained.

Faith shrugged like it was no big deal, when really it was the scariest thing she'd even had to face in her life. Demons and vampires she could handle with no problem, it was her calling, what she was born to do and she fearlessly shouldered the responsibility night after night. However, love was something she wasn't familiar with, something she had no experience in fighting so when she had fallen head over heels for Buffy, she knew she didn't stand a chance at beating it. So she finally took the chance and embraced it instead only to have it thrown back in her face.

"It was no big deal B, I figured after you gave up the goods it was the least I could do."

Buffy rolled her eyes but it wasn't with malice intent because she knew that it was in fact a big deal for Faith, but she also knew that that was all the thanks she was going to get from the guarded slayer right now and it was more than enough so she continued.

"If me not giving you an answer hurt your feelings then I don't think I can tell you enough just how sorry I am for honestly? It surprised me...caught me off guard I guess you could say so I couldn't say anything at the time. I...I was in shock. I'm still in shock," Buffy admitted.

"And now?" Faith asked as she held onto Buffy tighter and allowed herself to hope for the first time.

"I'm saying that that proposal? I want to know that you really mean it Faith that we both do...," Buffy was going to explain further but was interrupted.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't mean it!" Faith bristled as she released her hold on the blonde and made an attempt to dislodge herself but to no avail because Buffy wouldn't let her go.

"That's not what I mean!" Buffy yelled and her arms dropped from around Faith's neck and she placed her hands on her shoulders keeping her in place. She was being pushed to her limit with Faith misunderstanding her without giving her a chance to explain. "Now will you please stop interrupting me and just let me finish?" She asked, and watched as Faith made a motion for her to continue.

"What I'm saying is I want to _earn_ that proposal and that big, pretty shiny diamond ring from you Faith and I know I haven't yet."

Faith opened her mouth to make some type of protest but Buffy narrowed her eyes indicating that she was not finished with what she needed to say and fierce look was enough to make Faith snap her mouth shut and continue to listen.

So Buffy continued. "When we look back on this whole thing and think about why or how it happened, I want us both to know that what we have is real and that this means something more than a weekend full of magic and one night filled with hot, sexy goodness." Buffy brought her hand back up to wrap around Faith's neck and looked her in the eyes.

"If it's one thing I know, it's that an attraction to each other doesn't make a commitment, and even though I know I can count on you and I trust you with my life, I just need more Faith...more than one night, more than one weekend. I need a lifetime...the whole nine yards from you and I want to give it in return and not have what happened here in Vegas define our whole relationship and possibly turn into a big mistake we may end up regretting later."

"That's not gonna happen B. I would never think that anything that happened between us or anything I've said since we've been here was a mistake because it's all true. With who and what you've been to me for so long makes you more than deserve the ring and what it means because whether you see it or not, you already have all of me. I'd do anything you ask and I'd give you whatever you needed if it means you're happy...and there's no regretting that."

With a dreamily look, Buffy leaned up once again and pressed her lips Faith's go give her a soft, lingering kiss before she pulled back. "I know you would, and I'd do anything to make you happy too," she added before placing another kiss on the brunette's lips. "But the whole nine yards means I want to go out on dates as more than just friends. I want to be able to kiss you when I want or make out in a dark movie theater like teenagers. I want to hold hands when we're walking through a cemetery on patrol." Faith shot Buffy a curious look at that last part. "What? Can you think of anything else more romantic we could do when patrolling?" Buffy said in way of explanation. When a devilish look crossed Faith's features she added, "I said romantic not dirty and...and completely sexy and X-rated."

The corner of Faith's mouth upturned in a slight smirk and she allowed herself to fall back into Buffy's embrace. "But, seriously Faith...do you understand that I'm not saying no? That it's just...not now? I just think we should wait until we're sure it's what we both want and that it's the right time to fully make that kind of commitment to each other."

"Yeah B, I think I get it. You want me to be sure I can put up with your hideous bed head and your drooling night after night," Faith grinned which caused Buffy to gasp in faux horror and swat Faith on the arm.

The brunette laughed and continued. "And you're saying that you want to get your naughty on in public places and get all cute and coupley when we we're having dinner or while we're supposed to be teaching the juniors how to be all responsible and _not_ get distracted while hunting and killing shit." Faith said with an amused raised brow as she gave her own rendition on what she thought Buffy was trying to tell her. "Am I right?" She asked with a smirk.

"Well yes, but when you put it that way, it makes me sound all irresponsible and perverty," Buffy pouted.

"Yeah B, you sound like me," Faith joked and as if she couldn't help herself, she leaned in and planted a kiss on Buffy's pouty lips.

"Exactly!"

Faith chuckled and wrapped her arms back around the blonde slayer waist and dropped another kiss on her lips and smiled. She'd never get use to being able to do that whenever she wanted, and now that she could it was like she couldn't get enough of kissing Buffy. "Well it doesn't matter how either of us puts it or how it sounds, as long as it means I get to keep having sex with you then I think I can handle the cute and cuddly," she added with a wiggle of her brow.

Buffy couldn't help but laugh as she pulled Faith into a hug, "Well we've had the cute and cuddly part down for a while now according to anyone you care to ask back at home, but I think adding sex with my beautiful wife on a regular basis into the fray can definitely be arranged."

"Wicked," Faith said and wrapped her arms tighter around Buffy. She closed her eyes and placed a kiss against the side of her temple before she rested her forehead against it before growing serious again. "If you're sure you want to do this B, I need you to promise me something, okay?" Faith asked as she pulled back to look at Buffy.

The blonde pulled back and looked deep into Faith eyes at the uneasy tone she'd heard in her lover's voice and nodded. "Promise," she whispered before she even knew what was being asked of her.

"You know I'm not the easiest person in the world to live with. I hate doing housework, you know you're always complaining about me leaving my clothes in the dryer because I hate putting them away and you end up having to do it. You won't let me use paper plates because you think '_it's tacky, especially during dinner,' _Faith mocked in her best faux Buffy voice, "but you turn around and complain when I don't help with the dishes."

"I don't talk like that," Buffy interjected with a scowl that was ignored as Faith continued her rant.

"I use your bathroom towel and it's always wet when you need it. You're always complaining about how I squeeze the toothpaste at the top or in the middle instead of from the bottom like you've asked and how I put the toilet paper on so that it rolls under instead of over. I don't see what your deal is about it though," Faith shrugged. "Does it make your ass feel any different if it's not rolling the way you want?"

"Okay I get it, you're a pig," Buffy stated matter of factly.

"Or it could just be that you complain to damn much," Faith countered.

Buffy rolled her eyes at the rebuttal but let it pass. "Okay so we've lived together for over a year now so I already know most of your annoying habits and most of them I'm sure you do on purpose because you know just how much that it annoys me. What's your point?"

A slight smirk crossed Faith lips, "My point is I know I do a lot of shit that drive you crazy, so I'd get it if you didn't want to stick around after you have to deal with them for so long. I guess I just need you to promise me that if at any time you realize that this isn't what you want...that I'm not what you want in a girlfriend...in a wife, you'll just come right out and tell me instead of dicking around until we become that bitter couple that argues all the time and can't stand to be around each other and you start hating me again."

"I never hated you Faith. Even when things we're...rough between us, I never_ hated_ you. So if that's the promise you want me to make then I'm unpromising my promise because I'm sure that if anything goes wrong between us I know we'll be able to get through it, we always do."

"You don't know that B...shit happens you know, so how can you be sure?" Faith argued.

"I'm sure because whether I remember it or not, we promised each other for better or worse. We've already been through the worse and we forgave each other, so if the worse we have to deal with right now are your annoying habits, then I think we doing pretty good. It just means we're buying extra towels so you can always have a choice of one that _is not_ mine...oooh, we can get them monogrammed to say 'hers' and...well um, I guess 'hers'."

"Well how will I know which is mine?" Faith asked amused at the thought.

"Hmmm," Buffy thought for a second. "Oh! We can have them initialed and get them in different colors," she exclaimed excitedly. "As long as they match the bathroom décor which means we'll probably have to redecorate because I'm sure you'll want something dark." Buffy added as an afterthought.

Faith couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face at her wife's reasoning while still able to think about accessorizing to fit her style as well. "Okay, well what about the other stuff?"

"Well...," Buffy looked off as if she was thinking over the question and laced her fingers together that were resting at the nape of Faith's neck. "You can always wear less clothing that way they'll be less to wash and less to put away," the blonde remarked suggestively and with a smirk.

Faith grinned and nodded her approval of the idea. "Okay...nothing but commando from here on out for me. Keep going B, I think I like where this is leading."

Buffy laughed at the other slayer's enthusiasm, she then brought a finger to her mouth and tapped on it and made a sound to indicate that she was thinking. "Well...I guess we can start buying the toothpaste pumps, the ones that sits upright and you don't have to squeeze so we don't have to worry about a slayer sized dent in the _middle_ of the tube. And we can buy one of those stand-up toilet paper holders and make sure you never get to fill it that way I know they'll all be placed the same way." She explained with a brilliant smile in place, quite pleased with herself.

"Looks like you have it all figured out then B," Faith grinned and leaned in for a brief kiss and placed her forehead against the other slayer's.

"I do" Buffy nodded slightly, her smile growing impossibly wider. She was happy that Faith was now listening to her and seemingly agreeing to give them a chance. "And annoying habits or not, I'd still want this with you."

"So we're really gonna do this then?" Faith whispered, her lips brushing softly against Buffy's.

"Yeah, we're really doing this," Buffy assured as she leaned in and pressed another soft kiss to Faith's lips. "We'll be fine baby, I promise."

"No unpromising on this one?"

"Slayer's honor," Buffy replied and brought her hands up to gently cup Faith's face and leaned in to place a sweet and gentle kiss against the full lips, but before she could make contact, Faith unexpectedly pulled back at the last minute.

"Hold on B, there's something else I need to ask," Faith said while her eyes darted to the floor bashfully before hesitantly bringing them back up to meet Buffy's.

"Of course," Buffy answered instantly, wanting to know what was on Faith's mind that would make her pull away again.

"Before, when we were back in the elevator, you didn't have to say it just because I did, ya know. I mean I know that you care about me and I'm getting that you want to see where this thing will go between us...but I don't want you lying to me to spare my feelings because you think it'll make me feel better, okay?"

"What?" Buffy asked puzzled and took a step back from the brunette. "Faith, what are you...I...I haven't lied to you about anything so I'm not exactly sure what you're asking me here."

Faith sighed and ran a hand back through her dark locks as she prepared herself to ask the very thing she'd wanted to know since she'd first heard it. "Look B...I just need to know if you really meant it or if you just felt obligated because I said it first, ya know?" Faith asked, or more accurately stated as she looked back into gorgeous, curious green eyes and it was in that moment that she forgot how to breathe as she once again waited for an answer to a question that could turn her world upside down.

A frown made its way across Buffy's face as she stood in bewildered silence while her brain and her mouth struggled to come up with a suitable answer for a question she honestly wasn't sure of what was being asked. She'd said a lot of things back in the elevator, some things she didn't really mean because she was still extremely upset when she'd first encountered the dark slayer, but ultimately saying what she truly meant and how she felt when she'd told Faith that she...

Buffy's mouth parted with a slight gasp as the proverbial light bulb went off in her head. She gazed into the dark, pleading eyes that looked back at her as if she held the meaning of life, she knew what it was that Faith wanted, what it was that she needed and there was no way she was going to deny the woman standing in front of her anything right now, or ever. She slowly brought her hands around to cup Faith's face and started a soft back and forth caress with her thumbs across her cheeks.

"I meant it...and no I didn't just say it because you said it first," Buffy explained, but then a thoughtful looked crossed her features as she thought back to the previous night and how she had actually spoken the words out loud when she had returned back to their room after their fight. Even if it was to Faith's slumbering figure, Buffy conceded that she was indeed the one who had told Faith she loved her first.

However, there was no way she could explain that, or even if she could there was no way for her to actually prove it. Deciding to choose her battles, Buffy didn't see any damage in letting Faith have this one. "Okay, so maybe it was because you said it first...but...but isn't that usually how it works when saying the L word for the first time though?" The blonde asked hoping she at least _sounded_ rational. Before Faith could respond Buffy continued.

"I mean someone says it first and the other person actually hears them...then the other says it back? Not saying that that's the _only_ reason why I said it...and that's not saying that I wouldn't have said it first because I definitely would have had it been at some other point when you weren't in the middle of saying all of those really pretty things you were saying. Plus, I didn't want to interrupt you because hello, rude much! But yeah, definitely would've been numero uno girl here if you were awake and I..." Buffy's rambling was cut short and she let out a surprised squeal and her eyes widen as she was pulled forward and a pair of soft, full lips were being pressed firmly against her own.

She instantly relaxed and her arms slowly came up to slip around Faith's neck, one hand sliding up to tangle into thick, wavy locks as she pressed her body tightly against the other slayer's and allowed her words to be swallowed by the delectable mouth.

"Doesn't matter," Faith pulled back slightly and said in a whisper against Buffy's kiss swollen lips. She laid her forehead against Buffy's and tightened her arms around the small waist of the blonde slayer and basked in the feeling of relief her heart felt. "As long as the feeling behind it is real and not made up, I don't care who said it first, as long as you mean it." Faith told her with an expectant look.

A small smile crossed Buffy's lips at the look Faith kept giving her. Even after what they'd just talked about, it amazed Buffy that Faith would have any doubt in her mind that she was anything but head over heels in love with her. She guessed it was one of those things she would have to work on with her lover and newly minted wife.

However, as of the then and now, Buffy knew she needed to do or say something to start the process because the look on Faith's face was one full of fear and doubt. She moved her hands back down to place them over Faith's cheeks to slide her thumbs slowly across the attractive dimples that had deepened because of the look of worry displayed on Faith's face. Buffy then stood on the tip of her toes in an effort to bring herself at eye-level with the slightly taller slayer and gazed into the stormy dark orbs that looked deeply into her own and placed a chaste kiss against Faith's pouty lips.

"I love you, Faith." She whispered across the warm, full lips before she leaning in with another kiss. "I loved you before." Another kiss. "I love you now." Kiss. "'And I'll love you always." With that said and one last kiss, Buffy planted her feet fully back onto the floor and leaned back slightly to gauge the other slayer's reaction.

Faith remained still and quiet as she stared blankly at the woman in front of her. She rolled the words that Buffy had just said to her around in her head and began to let them fully sink in. Never in her lifetime did she think she would be hearing her heart's desire say those very words to her. But more importantly, Faith actually felt like she could believe in them. It could've been the way Buffy had caressed her and never took her eyes off of hers as she spoke, or the way she softly kissed her every time she said it. Whatever it was, Faith was more than ready to accept that the words were true and that Buffy was really in love with her.

"Faith?" Buffy's voice broke Faith out of her thoughts. "Did...did you hear me?" Buffy asked apprehensively, wondering where Faith's frame of mind was at the moment seeing as the brunette hadn't gave her any indication that she had been indeed listening to her.

"I heard ya, loud and clear babe," Faith responded as she blinked rapidly a few times to clear the love daze she seemed to have been stuck in.

"And?"

"And..." Faith trailed off as she let the single word hang in the air and slowly snaked her arms around the girl of her dreams and held onto her, "and I love you too Buffy," she told her seriously and then placed a sweet, gentle kiss on her wife's lips. When she pulled backed and stared back into happy, gorgeous green eyes, a dimpled, mischievious grin broke out across her face, "but you just remember who said it first, B!"

Buffy rolled her eyes playfully with a knowing smile, "Oh I wouldn't dream of it, F!"


End file.
